Cancer-related fatigue is a common problem among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors even after completion of treatment. In a randomised trial, we assessed the effect of a person-centred lifestyle programme on cancer-related fatigue among CRC survivors who completed treatment. Survivors who completed treatment at least 6 months but no longer than 5 years ago and who were experiencing cancer-related fatigue were randomised to intervention or control group. The intervention group worked with a lifestyle coach for 6 months during twelve sessions to stepwise increase adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute of Cancer Research cancer prevention guidelines on healthy diet and physical activity. The control group did not receive lifestyle coaching. Changes in cancer-related fatigue from baseline to 6 months were assessed with the FACIT (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy) – Fatigue Scale. As a secondary outcome, we assessed changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Higher scores indicate less fatigue and better HRQoL. Eighty participants were randomised to the intervention group; eighty-one to the control group. Baseline characteristics were similar: mean age 64·1 (sd 10·9) years; 55·3 % were women; and 72 % had colon cancer. There were favourable changes in dietary behaviours and physical activity in the intervention group; the control group did not show changes to the same extent. The programme did not result in statistically significant differential changes over time between intervention and control group in cancer-related fatigue (0·8; 95 % CI −1·6, 3·2) or HRQoL (1·3; 95 % CI −2·2, 4·8). A person-centred lifestyle programme improved the lifestyle of CRC survivors, but the programme was not effective in reducing cancer-related fatigue or in improving HRQoL.

Pollinators are susceptible to insecticide residues when foraging on weedy flowers in turfgrass systems. Deterrent practices may mitigate this risk by reducing pollinator visits; however, their effectiveness in limiting contact exposure of pollinators has not been thoroughly evaluated. Two trials were conducted using a randomized complete block design with three temporal blocks to assess the effectiveness of deterrent practices in preventing contact exposure of actively trapped honey bees (Apis mellifera) and passively trapped insects to fluorescent powder-treated white clover (Trifolium repens L.) inflorescences in turfgrass. Deterrent treatments included mowing the same morning before fluorescent powder application, spraying with a premix of 2,4-D, MCPP, and dicamba two d before powder treatment, or no deterrent before powder application. Fluorescent powder was extracted from 1,440 honey bee specimens collected by active trapping at 4 and 28 hours after treatment. Mowing and synthetic auxin herbicides pre-treatment reduced the number of fluorescent powder-exposed honey bees by at least 75% and 93%, respectively. Among exposed honey bees, mowing and herbicide treatments reduced powder concentration by at least 75% and 90%, respectively. Honey bee visitation was positively correlated with T. repens inflorescence density, explaining 81% of visitation variability. Mowing transiently decreased T. repens floral density by 85%, but recovered by 7 d, while herbicides resulted in complete loss of floral resources by 7 d. Blue vane traps captured 1,117 bees from 23 species, over 96% of which were native, while yellow sticky cards collected 384 insects from the Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera orders. Despite differences in honey bee exposure, deterrent treatments did not affect the exposure of passively trapped pollinators to fluorescent powder, likely due to strong visual attraction of traps. Results suggest that mowing and synthetic auxin herbicides effectively deter honey bees from T. repens inflorescences, reducing their exposure risk.

Predatory mites are important biological control agents of spider mites in various crops. Long-term mass rearing on alternative foods, such as plant pollen, may affect their predatory efficiency, but data on Euseius scutalis are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether long-term rearing of E. scutalis on cattail pollen influences its functional response when fed on Tetranychus turkestani. Functional and numerical responses of the predatory mite E. scutalis reared on cattail (Typha latifolia) pollen over 30 generations on different densities (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128) of T. turkestani were evaluated. The results indicated a type II functional response for E. scutalis on T. turkestani in all generations (G1, G10, G20, and G30) tested. The attack rate (a) of E. scutalis increased as the number of generations increased. The handling time decreased as the number of generations increased from G1 (0.330 h) to G10 (0.318 h), then increased in G20 (0.572 h) and then decreased again in G30 (0.385 h). In G1 and G30, the number of eggs deposited by the predator increased as prey density increased. However, in G10 and G20, egg deposition increased up to 64 prey and then slightly decreased at 128 prey. The results indicated that the quality of E. scutalis did not lessen against T. turkestani after different periods of rearing on cattail pollen. Based on this study, we recommend cattail pollen as a good candidate for the large-scale rearing of E. scutalis for use in biological control programmes against T. turkestani.

The limbic system is a brain structure involved in emotional regulation. Since nutritional interventions in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants may be associated with measurable differences in brain structure and function, we designed this prospective study to evaluate the impact of early nutritional support in VLBW infants on the volume of the regions that comprise the limbic system, as well as on the emotional and neuropsychological development of these infants. This is a prospective observational study of a historical cohort of children with a history of prematurity. Seventy-four preterm infants, with a mean age of 11·1 (sd 2·9) years, underwent neuropsychological assessment using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and functional MRI (fMRI). We recorded the nutritional intake during the first week of the neonatal period, as well as data related to neonatal morbidity. The association between the results of the brain structural analysis, psychometrics variables and nutritional intake was determined using simple and multivariate linear regression adjusted for child age and BMI in the structural analysis of fMRI. Lipids intake was also associated with the volume of the left thalamus (b = 50·7; P = 0·014), the right thalamus (b = 47·4; P = 0·018) and the left nucleus accumbens (b = 5·02; P = 0·031). We conclude that lipids intake in the first week of life in VLBW newborns is associated with the volume of various structures of the limbic system, namely the thalamus and the nucleus accumbens.

The spatial and temporal distribution of species is influenced by multiple processes operating at various scales. Beta diversity, which describes variation in species composition among sites, helps to understand community assembly mechanisms in spatial dimensions. Taxonomic beta diversity reflects differences in species composition, while functional beta diversity accounts for variations in ecological roles and traits among species. Both provide insights into the processes influencing the patterns of composition of communities. Accordingly, this study explores taxonomic and functional beta diversity patterns in anuran communities across different vegetation types in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, focusing on two components of variation in species composition: turnover and nestedness. Field surveys were conducted in 16 sites in northern Rio de Janeiro state, covering five vegetation types. Our findings show that species turnover predominantly drives beta diversity, both taxonomically and functionally. Montane and Submontane Ombrophilous Forests contribute significantly to both taxonomic and functional beta diversity by hosting unique assemblages of species, including microendemic taxa and rare functional traits not found in other vegetation types. Nevertheless, other vegetation types also harbour exclusive species and contribute to overall diversity. Rather than focusing solely on conservation recommendations, these findings provide novel insights into how turnover and nestedness contribute differently to taxonomic and functional beta diversity, revealing the distinct ecological processes and habitat characteristics that shape anuran community composition across the Atlantic Forest.

Flower colour is a key trait shaping pollination, reproduction and plant–environment interactions. In arid ecosystems, it may also signal adaptations to heat and (Ultraviolet) UV stress. Tecomella undulata, a threatened keystone tree of the Indian Desert, exhibits striking flower colour polymorphism with yellow, orange and red morphs. This study tested whether artificial intelligence (AI) can reliably classify these morphs, thereby supporting conservation efforts. Field surveys were conducted across natural populations in the Thar Desert. An accessible no-code AI platform (Google Teachable Machine) was used for supervised classification of flower and tree images, with unsupervised clustering applied for validation. The AI classifier achieved high accuracy in distinguishing morphs at both flower and tree scales. Morphs showed consistent separation, with orange functioning as an intermediate form. Despite red morphs being more frequent, the presence of yellow and orange morphs contributes essential functional diversity important for pollinator interactions and reproductive resilience. This study demonstrates that no-code AI provides an effective, scalable approach to documenting intraspecific variation in threatened species. By enabling rapid and reliable identification of flower colour morphs, the approach offers practical applications for ex situ conservation, restoration and morph-aware biodiversity management in T. undulata and other arid-zone trees.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a widely used assisted reproduction technique, but in cattle it faces major challenges due to inefficient oocyte activation after sperm microinjection. This study investigated different oocyte activation strategies and assessed the potential role of reducing agents glutathione (GSH), cysteamine (Cys) and dithiobutylamine (DTBA) to improve sperm head decondensation and embryo development following Piezo-ICSI. Haploid parthenogenetic activation using different ethanol concentrations (1%, 3%, 7% and 10%) failed to yield blastocysts, while diploid activation with ethanol or ionomycin combined with inhibitors significantly improved cleavage (43–55%) and blastocyst rates (14–27%), respectively. However, applying two ethanol pulses was detrimental, reducing both cleavage and blastocysts likely due to toxic overexposure. Sperm head decondensation compounds in Piezo-ICSI showed a high percentage of inactivated oocytes (75% GSH, 55% Cys and 40% DTBA). The highest male pronuclear formation rates were observed in the control without sperm head decondensation (21%) and with DTBA treatment (10%). Despite this, the treatment with Cys resulted in higher developmental potential to the blastocyst stage (22%) comparable to the control (24%). These data suggest that the inclusion of sperm head decondensing agents could represent a promising new strategy for enhancing the early in vitro development of ICSI-generated embryos. However, for this purpose, careful optimization of the concentration and incubation time of these decondensing compounds is essential.

Deep-sea trawling is concentrated  on assessing fisheries, or in fishing; a combination of long hauls and a large mesh size results in a rather poor collection of soft-bodied invertebrates. In this contribution, we report upon the finding of the French-New Zealand Halipro 2 expedition, along the Norfolk and Loyalty Ridges, especially regarding the proposal of a new genus and description of a new species of polynoid polychaetes, Jimipolyeunoa richeri gen. n., sp. n. Jimipolyeunoa has over 50 body segments, with 21 pairs of elytra; it resembles Parapolyeunoa Barnich, Gambi and Fiege (2012), but they differ because in Jimipolyeunoa the prostomium lacks cephalic peaks (present in Parapolyeunoa), and its neurochaetae are unidentate or finely bidentate (clearly bidentate in Parapolyeunoa). Further, a parasitic copepod was found in one of the specimens, and it is described as Herpyllobius pleurotumoris sp. n., being unique by having the right side of ectosoma with single bulging tumour-like process on posterior third, adjacent to genital swellings.

Twelve sucking lice, Solenopotes burmeisteri (Fahrenholz) (Psocodea: Linognathidae), were collected from a piece of hide from a female elk, Cervus canadensis (Erxleben) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae), that had been road-killed on the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory, Canada (60.78048° N, 136.03328° W), in February 2024. This is the first Canadian record of S. burmeisteri, a species of louse native to Eurasia. One nymph of the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus (Packard) (Ixodida: Ixodidae), was also collected from this host. No additional lice have been found on 13 subsequently examined elk hides.

Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1 gene, regulates reproduction via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. While kisspeptin treatment promotes follicular development in Tan sheep, its direct action on ovarian granulosa cells remains unclear. For this, we first detected the expression of Kiss1 and its receptor Kiss1r in primary ovarian granulosa cells of Tan sheep. Second, the effect of kisspeptin on steroid hormone secretion, proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells was investigated. Third, the signaling pathway of kisspeptin regulating steroid hormone secretion was revealed by western bolting in ovarian granulosa cells. The results showed that the Kiss1 and Kiss1r genes were present in ovarian granulosa cells of Tan-sheep, and 500 nM dose of kisspeptin significantly stimulated steroids hormone secretion (P < 0.05), and up-regulated StAR, HSD17B2, CPY19A1, FSHR, LHR, ERβ, PGR and p-ERK1/2 proteins expression (P < 0.05). Moreover, this treatment significantly promoted cell proliferation and increased the proportion of cells in S phase (P < 0.05), and significantly suppressed granulosa cell apoptosis (P < 0.05). Additionally, the stimulatory effects of kisspeptin on estradiol and progesterone secretion were blocked by inhibitors of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway (including PKA inhibitor, PLC inhibitor, PKC inhibitor, and Ca2+inhibitor). Western blot analysis confirmed that kisspeptin regulates steroid hormone secretion primarily through the MAPK-ERK signaling pathway. Our results demonstrate that kisspeptin can directly act on ovarian granulosa cells to promote steroidogenesis, proliferation, and inhibit apoptosis, providing a foundational basis for developing novel kisspeptin-mediated techniques to regulate reproduction in Tan sheep.

This study presents a revised estimation of the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) among migrant women and second-generation girls in Italy as of 1 January 2023. The study is based on an enhanced indirect estimation of the prevalence among migrants and data on first- and second-generation women legally residing in Italy as of 1 January 2023. The study estimates that approximately 88,600 women aged 15 and over have undergone FGM/C in Italy, representing 46% of migrant women from practising countries. Notably, around one-third of these women are over 50 years old, indicating that FGM/C remains a significant health concern beyond childbearing age. Among foreign-born women, 46.5% are estimated to be affected, compared to 22.5% of Italian-born women. The research also identifies approximately 16,000 girls under 15 at potential risk, with the highest numbers among those of Egyptian, Nigerian, and Senegalese descent. Methodologically, the study underscores the importance of refining indirect estimation techniques to account for the socio-demographic selectivity of migration. While the overall prevalence of FGM/C is decreasing, the persistence of the practice among specific communities calls for targeted interventions. The findings emphasise the need for culturally sensitive awareness campaigns, strengthened legal frameworks, and accessible healthcare services. Furthermore, this research contributes to the European discourse on FGM/C by providing a replicable estimation model adaptable to other non-practising countries receiving migrants from FGM/C-prevalent regions. Periodic replication of such estimates can provide valuable insights into evolving FGM/C trends, aiding policymakers in resource allocation and intervention strategies to eradicate the practice.

Bovine mastitis poses a significant threat to dairy production worldwide. Among the various etiologies of mastitis, Escherichia coli is a predominant environmental pathogen. Antibiotic-resistant E. coli poses substantial challenges for treating mastitis and is a threat to public health, necessitating the exploration of alternative therapeutic strategies. We studied bacteriophages as a potential alternative therapy for bovine mastitis-associated E. coli. We isolated 37 bacteriophages infecting E. coli, and characterized them for host range, growth kinetics, morphology, stability, genome fingerprinting and genome sequencing and analysis. The phages lysed between 4% and 62% of the E. coli isolates tested. Notably, 30 phages lysed bovine mastitis-associated strains. The 10 best phages selected based on host strain specificity revealed latent periods ranging from 50 to 90 min and burst sizes between 7 and 69 PFU/mL. Based on their shorter latent period and larger burst size, seven phages were subjected to transmission electron microscopy, which revealed their myovirus and siphovirus morphologies. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the same seven phages indicated six different patterns. The seven phages were stable at temperatures ranging from 4°C to 50°C, and at pH values ranging from 3 to 9. Whole-genome sequencing and analysis of the six phages, which showed unique RFLP patterns, predicted a lytic lifecycle, with no sequences encoding toxins or antibiotic-resistance genes. Importantly, these six phages were able to lyse multidrug-resistant and extended β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli under in vitro conditions and mastitis-associated E. coli in milk. Additionally, three phages belonging to different genera did not exhibit toxicity to mammalian cells. This study underscores the potential of bacteriophages as alternative therapeutic agents for E. coli-associated bovine mastitis. Our study has broader implications for udder and animal health, as well as the production of quality milk and dairy products, and food safety and security.

This study examined data from 20 national genebanks in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Near East and Asia to identify similarities and differences in genebank operations and processes, funding and facilities, as well as opportunities to strengthen their contributions to the global system of crop conservation and use. Data on genebank performance metrics were collected and used to assess compliance with FAO Genebank Standards. This enabled the analysis of trends in ex situ conservation of major food crops, locally important crops and crop wild relatives across national genebanks and the identification of shared challenges and opportunities to improve genebank operations and address funding gaps. All genebanks in the study failed to meet quality management standards and performance goals for the effective management of crop collections. The most pressing challenge for all national genebanks was the management and safety duplication of highly diverse collections in both seed and field genebanks, often with limited information available to guide best conservation practices. A further critical constraint was the fluctuating and often insufficient funding to support the wide range of tasks needed to secure and use this valuable national crop germplasm.

A growing body of evidence shows an association between in utero Ramadan exposure and negative long-term consequences. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of studies utilizing clinical measures in adults. This study investigates a possible association between in utero Ramadan exposure and mean arterial pressure (MAP) as well as random blood glucose (RBG) measures in the adult offspring. Using cross-sectional data from the Southeast Asia community observatory health and demographic surveillance system (SEACO) in Malaysia for two survey rounds (year 2013 and 2018), we compared MAP and RBG of in utero Ramadan-exposed Muslims with unexposed Muslims and non-Muslims. In utero Ramadan exposure was estimated based on the overlap between pregnancy (estimated from birth dates) and Ramadan periods. We conducted difference-in-differences analyses adjusted for age and birth months (seasonal effects). A total of 20,575 participants aged 35 or older were included in the analysis, comprising 12,696 Muslims and 7,879 non-Muslims. Difference-in-differences analyses revealed no statistically significant association between in utero Ramadan exposure and MAP, or between in utero Ramadan and RBG. These findings persisted in additional analyses examining the timing of Ramadan exposure during pregnancy.

Respiratory infections trigger asthma exacerbations. Despite being less severely affected by COVID-19 than adults, the subsequent lockdowns had a great impact on children. Previous studies showed a decrease in asthma exacerbations during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but findings from secondary care settings are scarce. We aimed to elucidate the trends in frequency and characteristics of asthma exacerbations in children presenting on an emergency department (ED) of a secondary care setting before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from ED visits between January 2018 and November 2022 for asthma exacerbations in children. The incidence of ED visits, hospital admissions, paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions, administered medication, and demographic information were compared. A total of 1121 exacerbations were reported in 670 children, of whom 476 (42%) were admitted to hospital and 44 (3.9%) required PICU admission. We observed a decrease in ED visits for asthma exacerbations during the pandemic but an increased risk in hospital admissions and PICU transfers for exacerbations. This suggests a more severe course of exacerbations. Barriers to health care and lower viral exposure may contribute to this.

We aimed to investigate the association of chrono-nutrition components with anthropometric measures and body composition in adults living in Tehran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 450 healthy adults. The exposures of the study were meal frequency, meal timing, meal irregularity, breakfast skipping, night fasting duration, time of the first and last eating occasion and the time interval from the last meal to bed. The outcomes were BMI, waist circumference, neck circumference (NC), waist:hip ratio, waist:height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), body roundness index (BRI), a body shape index, percentage of body fat (PBF), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass and muscle mass. Bonferroni correction was applied, and the significance level was less than 0·004. Using ANCOVA, after adjusting for confounders, late lunch eating was associated with a lower PBF. There was a positive trend across the tertiles of dinner time with greater WHtR (mean difference = 0·019; Ptrend = 0·025) and BRI (mean difference = 0·24; Ptrend = 0·022). Moreover, increased irregularity at dinner time was associated with higher levels of PBF (Ptrend = 0·026) and FM (Ptrend = 0·025). Also, longer overnight fasting was associated with lower NC (Ptrend = 0·049) and a greater BRI (Ptrend = 0·050). We found differences across the time interval from the last meal to bed with greater means of BAI (Ptrend = 0·026), PBF (Ptrend = 0·014) and FM (Ptrend = 0·020). However, after applying the Bonferroni correction, we found no significant association between chrono-nutrition components and anthropometric measures and body composition in adults living in Tehran. Further studies are necessary to confirm the results.