Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) pose a significant global threat to humans and animals, causing substantial economic losses through treatment costs, reduced productivity, impaired reproductive performance, and financial strain on livestock owners. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding TBDs among farmers in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire was conducted among 451 livestock farmers in eight divisions of Bangladesh from April to September 2025. The farmers included farmers with at least two livestock animals on their farms. Univariate and multivariate regressions were performed to identify the factors influencing KAPs. Among the farmers, 69.62% were male, the majority (53.22%) were over 45 years of age, and nearly half (43.46%) had a primary education. The survey revealed significant KAP gaps regarding TBDs, with only 4.66% of farmers showing good knowledge, 29.71% demonstrating positive attitudes, and 39.25% exhibiting good practices. A significant proportion of the farmers (72.28%) were aware of disease transmission to animals through tick bites, whereas only 21.29% recognized transmission to humans. Acaricide use (82.48%) was the most common method for tick control. Logistic regression analysis revealed that sex, education, training on animal health and diseases, and farming system significantly influenced KAP levels. This study revealed a lack of knowledge, poor attitudes, and inadequate practices regarding TBDs, highlighting critical gaps that necessitate targeted educational interventions, awareness campaigns, and community-based programs. Addressing these gaps through a collaborative One Health approach and tailored extension activities will be essential to promote effective tick prevention and control strategies.

We are delighted to announce our established partnership with the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) to publish the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA) on its behalf [...].

This manuscript presents a unified and comprehensive policy framework addressing the flat-fee reimbursement model for skin substitutes, also referred to as cellular, acellular, and matrix-like products (CAMPs), proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These products are vital to treating hard-to-heal wounds, which disproportionately affect older patients, and those patients who are disabled and medically underserved. While CMS aims to curtail excessive spending and introduce payment consistency, the current proposal threatens access to life-saving therapies, endangers patient outcomes, and may destabilise clinical delivery infrastructures and manufacturing ecosystems critical to wound care.

Carboxylic enantiomers are prevalent in living organisms and synthetic samples that exhibit important biological properties. The profiling of carboxylic enantiomers is beneficial for monitoring physiological states and further unraveling the metabolism mechanisms between carboxylic enantiomers and diseases. In this study, pairs of light and heavy isotope reagents, (S)-(3-aminopiperidin-1-yl) phenyl-methanone/d5-(S)-(3-aminopiperidin-1-yl) phenyl-methanone (APMA/d5-APMA), were synthesized and applied to tag the enantiomers of carboxylic metabolites and drugs. The tagging reagents of APMA and d5-APMA carry chiral amine groups that can efficiently and selectively react with the carboxyl group on carboxylic enantiomers. Upon the tagging strategy, pairs of carboxylic enantiomers showed satisfactory chromatographic performance on the conventional reversed-phase (RP) column, and the detection sensitivities of mass spectrometry (MS) analysis were also elevated. The obtained limits of detection (LODs) of 16 carboxylic enantiomers were in the range of 0.008-0.08 ng mL[-1]. With the developed method of APMA/d5-APMA tagging-assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, we successfully achieved the sensitive detection of carboxylic enantiomers in trace amounts of serum samples. The results showed that the levels of 6 carboxylic enantiomers in hepatic fibrosis serum presented significant alteration compared with normal serum samples. This proposed method provides great potential for uncovering the biological function of carboxylic enantiomers in the development of diseases.

Well-defined gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are accessible via simple synthetic methods, and their surface chemistry stands as a key factor in determining applications in the biomedical field. While macromolecules featuring amino groups are already known to successfully mediate the formation of stable gold colloids in one-pot, two-reactant, no workup reactions in aqueous media, we herein report the discovery that, under mild reaction temperatures, polymers of outstanding biomedical interest not only can play the simultaneous role of reducing and capping agent but also lead to particulate systems with unique features. From a library of samples that included branched polyethylenimine (BPEI), poly-(l-lysine) (PLL), bovine serum albumin (BSA), poly-(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMeOx), poly-(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide) (PHPMA), and amine-functionalized poly-(N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-methacrylamide-co-N-(3-aminopropyl)-methacrylamide) P-(HPMA-co-APMA), we found that PHPMA end-functionalized with nitrile motifs generate spherical and stable AuNPs@PHPMA of very small size (diameter of ∼2.4 nm), as underlined by imaging experiments. Cell viability experiments indicated exceptionally good biocompatibility up to very high numerical particle concentrations as compared to the other systems. The reduced size imparted to the AuNPs@PHPMA outstanding catalytic properties (no induction time and high reaction rate constant for the hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol) and antimicrobial activity (total antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus). The introduction of primary amine groups (13.4 mol %) of higher nucleophilicity known to work better for AuNP synthesis makes these unique features disappear, as evidenced for P-(HPMA-co-APMA). The other systems yielded 6-28 nm particles whose properties reflected both the size of the metallic core and chemical nature and conformation of the capping agent. These findings point to novel applications of PHPMA polymers worthy of further development, especially in light of their excellent water solubility and biocompatibility.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly metastatic malignancy. More than 80% of patients with PC present with advanced-stage disease, preventing potentially curative surgery. The neuropeptide Y (NPY) system, best known for its role in controlling energy homeostasis, has also been shown to promote tumorigenesis in a range of cancer types, but its role in PC has yet to be explored. We show that expression of NPY and NPY1R are up-regulated in mouse PC models and human patients with PC. Moreover, using the genetically engineered, autochthonous KPR172HC mouse model of PC, we demonstrate that pancreas-specific and whole-body knockout of Npy1r significantly decreases metastasis to the liver. We identify that treatment with the NPY1R antagonist BIBO3304 significantly reduces KPR172HC migratory capacity on cell-derived matrices. Pharmacological NPY1R inhibition in an intrasplenic model of PC metastasis recapitulated the results of our genetic studies, with BIBO3304 significantly decreasing liver metastasis. Together, our results reveal that NPY/NPY1R signaling is a previously unidentified antimetastatic target in PC.

Ophthalmic neurodegenerative diseases related to diabetes, such as glaucoma and retinopathy, are among the major causes of blindness in the world. Citicoline (CIT) in the form of eye drops is currently used for the treatment/prevention of these diseases, which affect the posterior segment of the eye. To ensure the drug penetration into the back of the eye, frequent instillations of highly concentrated drug solutions are required with potential side effects. Drug-loaded soft contact lenses (SCLs) may be an effective alternative to the conventional eye drop treatment, since they may enable a sustained drug release during daily wear, ensuring a higher drug bioavailability, and avoiding drug waste. In this work, one 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) based hydrogel was functionalised with N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide hydrochloride (APMA), molecularly imprinted with CIT and loaded with the same drug. The material was extensively characterised, in terms of morphology, optical, mechanical, and physical-chemical properties, namely, equilibrium water content, wettability, oxygen and ionic permeability, Young's modulus, shear deformation, transmittance and refractive index, before and after steam sterilisation. Additionally, the tendency of the material to adsorb proteins of the lachrymal fluid was evaluated and its biocompatibility was assessed by irritation and cytotoxicity assays. Comparison with the non-functionalised and non-imprinted hydrogel showed that the modified hydrogel led to a sustained in vitro release of a much higher amount of CIT than the original one, while keeping typical values for physical-chemical properties of SCLs. The drug-loaded material resisted steam sterilisation and proved to be biocompatible, demonstrating adequate properties to be used in therapeutic SCLs for the prophylaxis/treatment of neurodegenerative diabetic ocular diseases. The neuroprotective effect of the released drug was confirmed with tests using porcine retinal explants.

The preparation of biodegradable and antibacterial hydrogels has important clinical value. In this work, a novel strategy has been developed to prepare degradable hydrogel dressings without chemical crosslinking agent using methacrylate anhydride (MA)-modified amylopectin (APMA) and polyacrylamide (PAM). After introducing CC bonds, APMA/PAM hydrogels can be formed under light irradiation. This strategy improves the gelling ability of AP and degradation properties of the hydrogel by avoiding the addition of crosslinking agent. The degradation rate of APMA/PAM hydrogel is 74.04 ± 0.69 % within 12 weeks, while that of APMA/PAM hydrogel containing crosslinking agent is only 38.5 ± 0.1 %. The APMA/PAM hydrogel loading curcumin (Cur) (APMA/PAM-Cur) exhibits high antibacterial efficiency of 98.29 ± 0.41 % and 97.18 ± 0.81 % against S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, with light irradiation. Animal experiments show that the APMA/PAM-Cur hydrogel reduces the infiltration of inflammatory factors, increases the density of collagen, and makes the newly formed granulation tissue thicker and tighter. This study not only proves the promising potential of the APMA/PAM-Cur hydrogel as degradable and antibacterial wound dressing for clinical treatment, but also provides a new strategy for developing low-cost, degradable, and antibacterial wound dressings and reducing antibiotic abuse and environmental pollution caused by medical waste.