Search Results (4,866)

Women commonly experience urinary tract infection (UTI) recurrence. However, there is no effective tool for predicting recurrent UTI after the first UTI episode. Hence, this study aimed to investigate potential urinary inflammatory biomarkers and specific biomarkers for predicting UTI recurrence or persistence after antibiotic treatment in women. Forty women who had a history of recurrent UTI within 1 year after the initial episode and acute bacterial cystitis were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics for 1 week. To measure inflammatory biomarker levels, urine samples were collected at the baseline and after 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. The levels of urinary pro-inflammatory proteins such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), nerve growth factor, CXC-motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)-1, interleukin-8, CXCL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured using commercial kits. Seven healthy age-matched women were included as controls. The changes in urinary biomarker levels at the baseline and various time points were compared between women with and without UTI recurrence within 1 month or within 3 months after the initial antibiotic therapy. At the baseline, patients with a higher urinary white blood cell count had a significantly higher NGAL level than the controls and those with a low white blood cell count. Of the 40 patients with a history of recurrent UTI, 12 presented with UTI persistence or recurrence within 1 month and 19 within 3 months after the initial antibiotic treatment. Among the 28 patients without UTI recurrence at 1 month after treatment, 7 had UTI recurrence within 3 months. Compared with patients without UTI recurrence, those with UTI recurrence had significantly higher urinary NGAL levels at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the initial treatment. This study concludes that persistent elevation in urinary NGAL levels after the initial antibiotic treatment indicated persistent bladder inflammation. Further, it could be a predictor of UTI persistence or recurrence within 1 or 3 months after the initial antibiotic treatment. Patients with a history of recurrent UTI and high urinary NGAL levels after antibiotic treatment might require a longer treatment duration to completely eradicate or prevent UTI recurrence. Full article

Vesicle transport is a fundamental mechanism for intracellular substance transfer and signal transduction, involving the formation, transport, fusion with target membranes, and release of vesicle contents within cells. Issues such as disruption of water balance, difficulty in regulating osmotic pressure, and oxidative stress caused by salt stress can lead to disturbances in the secretion system of plants, thus affecting plant growth and development. Cyclocarya paliurus (C. paliurus), widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, has not been previously reported in terms of how the vesicle transport P24 gene regulates its adaptation to salt stress. In this research project, a total of eight CpP24 genes were successfully identified. Upon examination of gene architecture and conserved sequence elements, the CpP24 genes exhibited a variation in exon count, ranging from 4 to 6. Moreover, the CpP24 gene family’s reaction to salt stress and specific stressors including methyl jasmonate (MeJA), sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was further explored in our study. Comprehensive analysis of the expression patterns of CpP24 genes under various conditions showed that salt stress induced the expression of these genes, and the combined treatment of salt stress with specific stresses caused changes in their expression. This study lays a theoretical foundation for further probing into the physiological functions of C. paliurus and the underlying mechanisms regarding its response to environmental stress. Full article

Alveolar bone healing is influenced by various local and systemic factors, including the local inflammatory response. This study aimed to evaluate the role of inflammatory responsiveness in alveolar bone healing using 8-week-old male and female mice (N = 5/time/group) strains selected for maximum (AIRmax) or minimum (AIRmin) acute inflammatory response carrying distinct homozygous RR/SS Slc11a1 genotypes, namely AIRminRR, AIRminSS, AIRmaxRR, and AIRmaxSS mice. After upper right incisor extraction, bone healing was analyzed at 0, 3, 7, and 14 days using micro-computed tomography, histomorphometry, birefringence, immunohistochemistry, and PCRArray analysis. AIRmaxSS and AIRminRR presented the highest and lowest inflammatory readouts, respectively, associated with lowest repair levels in both strains, while intermediate inflammatory phenotypes observed in AIRminSS and AIRmaxRR were associated with higher repair levels in such strains. The better healing outcomes are associated with intermediate inflammatory cell counts, a balanced expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, increased expression of growth and osteogenic factors and MSCs markers. Our results demonstrate that extreme high and low inflammatory responses are not ideal for a proper bone repair outcome, while an intermediate and transitory inflammation is associated with a proper alveolar bone healing outcome. Full article

Repeated extreme environmental training (RET) enhances adaptability and induces lasting methylation modifications. We recruited 64 participants from a high-altitude region (4700 m), including 32 volunteers with repeated high-altitude exposure, reaching up to 8848 m and as many as 11 exposures. By analyzing 741,489 CpG loci and 39 phenotypes, we identified significant changes in 13 CpG loci (R² > 0.8, ACC > 0.75) and 15 phenotypes correlated with increasing RET exposures. The phenotypic Bayesian causal network and phenotypic-CpG interaction networks showed greater robustness (node correlation) with more RET exposures, particularly in systolic blood pressure (SP), platelet count (PLT), and neutrophil count (NEUT). Six CpG sites were validated as significantly associated with hypoxia exposure using the GEO public da-taset (AltitudeOmics). Furthermore, dividing the participants into two groups based on the number of RET exposures (n = 9 and 4) revealed six CpG sites significantly corre-lated with PLT and red cell distribution width-standard deviation (RDW.SD). Our findings suggest that increased RET exposures strengthen the interactions between phenotypes and CpG sites, indicating that critical extreme adaptive states may alter methylation patterns, co-evolving with phenotypes such as PLT, RDW.SD, and NEUT. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic diarrhea in dogs is a prevalent condition that significantly impacts canine health, often leading to weight loss, dehydration, and malnutrition. Diagnosing and treating chronic diarrhea is challenging due to its multifactorial nature, necessitating collaboration among veterinarians across various specialties. Measuring cobalamin and folate levels is a crucial diagnostic step for all dogs with chronic diarrhea. The role of these vitamins in erythropoiesis is well-documented in human medicine, where deficiencies are linked to erythropoietic disorders and megaloblastic anemia. This study explores the relationship between cobalamin and folate concentrations with hematologic parameters in dogs with chronic diarrhea to develop novel diagnostic methods that facilitate timely decision making. Methods: Forty-seven adult dogs with a history of chronic diarrhea (2019–2023) were included in the study. Upon presentation, complete blood count and measurement of cobalamin and folate concentrations were performed. The correlation of cobalamin and folate levels with erythrocytic parameters, including hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin concentration (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), and reticulocyte count, as well as morphological changes in the blood smear were examined. Results: Serum cobalamin was significantly correlated with RBC (p = 0.032), HGB (p = 0.006), HCT (p = 0.005), and MCV (p = 0.022). Anisocytosis was significantly correlated with hypocobalaminemia (p = 0.002), while acanthocytosis correlated with normal cobalamin levels (p = 0.046). No correlation was found between serum folate and erythrocytic parameters or morphological changes. Conclusions: These findings emphasize cobalamin’s potential role in canine erythropoiesis, highlighting the need for routine evaluation and supplementation when necessary. Conversely, the lack of association with folate suggests it plays a less significant role in this species. These results underscore the importance of complete blood count in the diagnostic investigation of dogs with chronic diarrhea. Full article

Nitrogen fertilizers have a significant impact on the growth of rice. The overuse and inappropriate application of nitrogen fertilizers have resulted in environmental pollution, in addition to subjecting both humans and livestock to negative health hazards. Finding a viable substitute for traditional nitrogen fertilizers is crucial and essential to help improve crop yield and minimize environmental damage. Nano-nitrogen fertilizers offer a possible alternative to traditional fertilizers due to a slow/controlled release of nitrogen. The present work aimed to study the effect of a slow-release urea nanofertilizer on soil ammonical (NH₄-N) and nitrate-N (NO₃-N) content, culturable soil microflora, and soil enzyme activities in three different soil samples procured from Ludhiana and Patiala districts through a soil column study. Seven treatments, including 0, 50 (75 kg/ha N), 75 (112.5 kg/ha N), and 100% (150 kg/ha N) of the recommended dose (RD) of conventional urea and nano-urea fertilizer were applied. The leachate samples collected from nano-urea treatment exhibited NH₄-N for the first two weeks, followed by NO₃-N appearance. The higher NH₄-N and NO₃-N contents in the leachate were recorded for light-textured soil as compared to medium- and heavy-textured soil samples. The soil microbial counts and enzyme activities were recorded to be maximum in light-textured soils. Therefore, this slow-release formulation could be more useful for light-textured soils to decrease applied N-fertilizer losses, as well as for improving the soil microbial viable cell counts and soil enzyme activities. The effect of urea nanofertilizer on the growth and yield of direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) was also evaluated under field conditions. Both studies were performed independently. Numerically, the highest shoot height, fresh and dry shoot weight, and significantly maximum total chlorophyll, carotenoid, and anthocyanins were recorded in the T2 (100% RDF through nano-urea) treatment. The yield-attributing traits, including the number of filled grains and thousand-grain weight, were also recorded to have increased in T2 treatment. A numerical increase in NPK for plant and grain of rice at 100% RDN through nano-urea was recorded. The soil application of the product exhibited no negative effect on the soil microbial viable cell count on different doses of nano-urea fertilizer. The soil nitrogen fixer viable counts were rather improved in nano-urea treatments. The results reflect that nano-urea fertilizer could be considered as a possible alternative to conventional fertilizer. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB), primarily caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) and Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), remains the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent globally. Intracellular survival is crucial for their virulence; yet, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study aimed to demonstrate the significance of a previously unannotated bovine gene ENSBTAG00000011305 in M. bovis intracellular survival. This gene was termed NMRAL2_Bovine due to its inclusion of the NmrA domain which has a relation to nitric oxide (NO) production. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out NMRAL2_Bovine in bovine lung epithelial cells and observed a significant decrease in M. bovis-induced cell death and the intracellular bacterial count, alongside increased NO levels. A transcriptome analysis revealed the upregulation of pathways linked to NO, IL-6, and TNF-α production, which was confirmed by the increased expression of iNOS, IL-6, and TNF-α. Correspondingly, Western blotting indicated that key signaling pathways, including NF-κB and MAPK, were activated. In conclusion, our findings determined that NMRAL2_Bovine functions as a negative regulator of the inflammatory response induced by M. bovis infection at the cellular level and, thereby, provide a novel insight into TB pathogenesis and a potential target for developing novel host-directed therapies against TB. Full article

This study employed high-throughput sequencing to explore bacterial diversity and hematological variations across different age groups of giraffes, as well as the impact of diarrhea on their intestinal microbiota. Additionally, the correlation between intestinal flora and hematological indices was examined for the first time. Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Proteobacteria were the predominant bacterial groups in the giraffe’s intestinal flora. The α-diversity analysis indicated significant variations in microbial diversity among giraffes of varying ages (p < 0.05). Furthermore, giraffes suffering from diarrhea exhibited significant alterations in the abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota at the phylum level (p < 0.05). At the genus level, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Monoglobus, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-004 had significant differences compared to healthy counterparts (p < 0.05). Hematological parameters such as lymphocyte count (Lym), red blood cell count (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), platelet count (PLT), and plateletcrit (PCT) varied significantly across different age groups (p < 0.05). A substantial correlation was observed between the intestinal microbiome composition and hematological parameters (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study highlights significant differences in both the intestinal microbiome composition and hematological indices among giraffes of different ages. Diarrhea was found to significantly alter the abundance and composition of the intestinal microbial community. These insights provide a valuable theoretical foundation for the microbiological and hematological aspects of giraffe health management and breeding practices. Full article

Psychosocial stress has been proposed to induce a redistribution of immune cells, but a comparison with an active placebo-psychosocial stress control condition is lacking so far. We investigated immune cell redistribution due to psychosocial stress compared to that resulting from an active placebo-psychosocial stress but otherwise identical control condition. Moreover, we tested for mediating effects of endocrine parameters and blood volume changes. The final study sample comprised 64 healthy young men who underwent either a psychosocial stress condition (Trier Social Stress Test; TSST; n = 38) or an active placebo-psychosocial stress control condition (PlacTSST; n = 26). Immune cell counts and hemoglobin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, ACTH, renin, and aldosterone levels, as well as those of saliva cortisol, were determined before and up to 30 min after the TSST/PlacTSST. The TSST induced greater increases in total leukocyte, monocyte, and lymphocyte levels as compared to the PlacTSST (p’s ≤ 0.001), but in not granulocyte counts. Neutrophil granulocyte counts increased in reaction to both the TSST and PlacTSST (p’s ≤ 0.001), while eosinophil and basophil granulocyte counts did not. The psychosocial stress-induced increases in immune cell counts from baseline to peak (i.e., +1 min after TSST cessation) were independently mediated by parallel increases in epinephrine (ab’s ≤ −0.43; 95% CIs [LLs ≤ −0.66; ULs ≤ −0.09]). Subsequent decreases in immune cell counts from +1 min to +10 min after psychosocial stress cessation were mediated by parallel epinephrine, renin, and blood volume decreases (ab’s ≥ 0.17; 95% CIs [LLs ≥ 0.02; ULs ≥ 0.35]). Our findings indicate that psychosocial stress specifically induces immune cell count increases in most leukocyte subpopulations that are not secondary to the physical or cognitive demands of the stress task. Increases in the number of circulating neutrophil granulocytes, however, are not psychosocial stress-specific and even occur in situations with a low probability of threat or harm. Our findings point to a major role of epinephrine in mediating stress-induced immune cell count increases and of epinephrine, renin, and blood volume changes in mediating subsequent immune cell count decreases from +1 min to +10 min after psychosocial stress cessation. Full article

Our prior findings showed that BCL2A1 in neutrophils is highly expressed in the extra-placental membranes (EPMs) of both the human spontaneous preterm-birth (PTB) (i.e., PTL or preterm PROM) and nonhuman-primate PTB model. However, no data exist on whether the intensity of BCL2A1 expression quantitatively increases according to the stage progression of acute histologic chorioamnionitis (acute HCA) in EPM. The objective is to investigate whether the intensity of BCL2A1 expression quantitatively increases according to the stage progression of acute HCA in EPM among spontaneous PTB cases, as measured using QuPath. The study population included 121 singleton PTBs (gestational age [GA] at delivery < 34 weeks) due to either preterm labor or preterm PROM. With digital image analysis, we calculated the percentage of BCL2A1-positive cells in immunohistochemistry according to the stage progression of acute HCA in EPMs as the primary outcome and examined the relationship between the percentage of BCL2A1-positive cells and either the GA at delivery or the amniotic-fluid (AF) WBC count as the secondary outcome. The median percentage of BCL2A1-positive cells progressively increases with the stage progression of acute HCA in EPM (group-1 vs. group-2 vs. group-3 vs. group-4 vs. group-5; 7.62 vs. 5.15 vs. 43.57 vs. 71.07; γ = 0.552, p < 0.000001). The percentage of BCL2A1-positive cells in EPMs and the AFWBC count shows a positive correlation (γ = 0.492, p = 0.000385). Moreover, the percentage of BCL2A1-positive cells in EPMs continuously decreased with increasing GA at delivery (γ = −0.253, p = 0.005148). In conclusion, the intensity of BCL2A1 expression increases according to the stage progression of acute HCA in EPMs and the elevation of AFWBC among spontaneous PTB cases. This finding suggests BCL2A1 in EPMs may be a promising marker and target for acute HCA. Full article

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the main factors inducing endometritis in dairy cows. However, the specific pathogenesis of LPS-induced endometritis in dairy cows is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to establish an in vitro endometritis model using LPS-induced bovine endometrial epithelial (BEND) cells. BEND cells were treated with LPS of different concentrations and times. The cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the cell survival rate after LPS treatment, and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of control group and LPS-treated group of inflammatory factors interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The results showed that the survival rate of endometrial epithelial cells stimulated by 5 μg/mL LPS for 6 h was 75.13%, and the expression of inflammatory factors was significantly increased. Therefore, 5 μg/mL LPS for 6 h could be selected as a suitable model for the study of inflammation. In addition, miRNA sequencing and target gene prediction was performed on normal and LPS-treated BEND cells. Among twenty-one differentially expressed miRNAs, six miRNAs were selected and their expression levels were detected by RT-qPCR, which were consistent with the sequencing results. Twenty-one differentially expressed miRNAs collectively predicted 17,050 target genes. This study provides a theoretical basis for further investigation of the pathogenesis of endometritis. Full article

The reactivity of primiparous goats during milking can significantly affect animal welfare and performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the progression of milking reactivity during lactation and its effects at early lactation on milk yield, milk quality, and plasma cortisol concentration in primiparous Saanen goats. The milking reactivity of 31 primiparous Saanen goats was evaluated on days 10, 30, and 60 of the lactation period by scoring step-kick behavior (SK) and head, ear, and tail movements (MOV). Milk yield, milk protein and fat percentages, somatic cell count (SCC), and plasma cortisol concentration were measured on day 10 of lactation. Goats’ milking reactivity was classified as low or high (according to the SK and MOV scores measured on day 10 of lactation). SK and MOV scores decreased over the lactation period, indicating that the goats habituated to the milking procedures. Milking reactivity only affected milk fat percentage, with the less reactive goats having more milk fat than the highly reactive ones. There was no evidence of stress when goats were subjected to milking procedures during early lactation. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationships of milking reactivity with stress response and their effects on milk yield and quality. Full article

The present study aimed to evaluate the physiological responses to transport stress in juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) fed a diet supplemented with hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet; Selisseo^®, Adisseo) and determine through stress biomarkers whether selenium supplementation could reduce the impact of transport stress on tambaqui resilience. Juvenile fish (15.71 ± 1.90 g) were randomly distributed into five experimental groups; one fed a basal diet without inclusion of OH-SeMet (0.0 mg Se/kg) and four other groups fed supplemented diets with selenium in the form of OH-SeMet at concentrations of 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 mg Se/kg over 75 days. After this period, the fish were transported for 4 h in plastic bags (60 L), and sampling took place before transport (baseline), immediately after transport, and 24 h later. The effects of dietary OH-SeMet in tambaqui challenged by transport were studied in terms of antioxidative status (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione s-transferase, and reduced glutathione); stress markers (serum cortisol, blood glucose, ionic and hematological parameters), and immunological status (respiratory burst activity and total protein, A/G ratio). Following transport, we observed an elevation in cortisol and blood glucose concentrations, accompanied by hemoconcentration, as evidenced by elevated hematocrit, erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Additionally, there was a decrease in immune response, indicated by reduced respiratory activity of leukocytes and an osmotic imbalance, which culminated in hypochloremia, increased plasma protein concentration, and a rise in red blood cell volume, all of which were measured 24 h after the stressor was applied. Twenty-four hours after transport, the antioxidant defense system was activated, and no recovery of homeostasis was observed for most of the parameters analyzed. The dietary inclusion of selenium did not alleviate the hormonal, metabolic, hematological, and ionic changes caused by transport, but at a concentration of 0.9 mg Se/kg, it was able to increase the activity of enzymes related to oxidative stress (catalase and superoxide dismutase, mainly) in tambaqui juveniles submitted to this challenge. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global health problem and the third leading contributor to mortality worldwide. This systematic review aims to summarize the results of previous studies tackling the question of the efficacy of long-term prophylaxis of antibiotics in COPD patients, with particular regard to exacerbation rate, time to first exacerbation, health status, airway bacterial load, inflammatory markers, cell counts in sputum samples, and potential adverse events. Results: Four studies found significant improvement in the exacerbation rate in patients receiving antibiotic intervention. One study found doxycycline to have negative effects on patients’ exacerbation outcomes. Two studies recorded a reduction in total airway bacterial load using quantitative culture of sputum samples, but the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria increased in all studies that measured it. No change in inflammatory markers was observed; however, there was a decline in neutrophil cell counts and, subsequently, reductions in neutrophil elastase concentrations. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for English-language studies presenting data on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in COPD management. All included studies are randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meet the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: Based on current evidence from RCTs, the prophylactic antibiotic approach utilizing macrolides is the most effective in reducing the incidence of COPD exacerbation. However, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is notable. Whether the beneficial effects of macrolides on exacerbation are due to their antibacterial or immunomodulant properties is still inconclusive. Future studies are needed to better understand the interactions between antibiotics and the airway microbiome during COPD exacerbation. Full article

Introduction: Variants of COVID-19 are responsible for 700 million infections and 7 million deaths worldwide. Vaccinations have high efficiency in preventing infection and secondary benefits of reducing COVID-19 hospital admissions, attenuating disease severity and duration of illness. Conflicting reports were published regarding COVID-19 among PLWH. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19 morbidity, hospitalization, and the magnitude of immunological response to sequential BNT 162b2 mRNA vaccines in PLWH regarding demographic and clinical factors. Results: Our retrospective study included 784 PLWH who had at least one anti- SARS-CoV-2 antibody test between March 2021 and October 2021. Half of our patients (392) had CD4 cell counts above 500 cells/µL, 40.2% (315) had 200 < CD4 < 500 cells/µL and only 9.8% (77) had CD4 < 200 cells/µL at their last laboratory workup. The mean age was 50.2 ± 12.2 years. About 90% of our patients were given at least two doses of the BNT 162b2 Pfizer vaccines; about 60% received three doses of the vaccine. About a quarter of our patients (27.6%) had COVID-19 infection. Only six patients required hospital admission. All six patients recovered from COVID-19 infection. Titers of COVID-19 antibodies were lower for patients with CD4 cell counts of less than 200 cells/µL in the first, second, and third serological tests with statistical significance. In a multinomial logistic regression, the influence of other factors such as age, sex, and previous COVID-19 infection on first COVID-19 antibody titers was not significant. Conclusions: PLWH are responsive to COVID-19 vaccines. As was expected, patients with higher CD4 cell counts had higher titers of COVID-19 antibodies and lower hospitalization rate. Age, sex, and previous COVID-19 infection did not significantly affect antibody titers according to our study. Larger prospective studies with control groups are needed to further characterize immunologic response to COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH. Full article