This study aimed to provide a comprehensive oncogeriatric characterization of older women with breast cancer treated in the Chilean public health system and to explore the association between geriatric domains, particularly frailty and nutritional status, treatment decision-making, and early treatment-related toxicity. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study that included 177 women aged ≥60 years (median age 79 years; range 60-95 years) who underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment at the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer. Frailty was highly prevalent, with 56% of patients classified as vulnerable or mildly frail (a score on the Clinical Frailty Scale of 4 or 5) and 20.4% as moderately or severely frail (score on the Clinical Frailty Scale of 6-9). Nutritional vulnerability was also common, with a mean Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form score of 11.1, low muscle strength (mean handgrip 14.7 kg), and reduced calf circumference in 75.7% of patients, despite a mean body mass index in the overweight range (28.1 kg/m2). Most tumours were early stage and hormone receptor-positive; however, frailty, oncogeriatric cluster classification, and nutritional status were significantly associated with therapeutic intent and early treatment-related toxicity (all p < 0.05). Performance status underestimated multidimensional vulnerability compared with geriatric assessment. Treatment plans were modified following geriatric assessment in 40.1% of the cases. Overall, older women with breast cancer treated in the Chilean public health system exhibit a high burden of multidimensional vulnerability that is significantly associated with oncological decision-making and treatment-related outcomes. Comprehensive geriatric assessment provides clinically relevant information beyond traditional oncological metrics and should be systematically integrated into breast cancer care.

Volleyball spiking is a complex explosive skill that requires coordinated force generation and transfer across the upper limbs, trunk, and lower limbs. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been proposed as a preconditioning strategy for enhancing neuromuscular activation; however, its acute effects on phase-specific volleyball spike kinematics remain unclear. This study investigated the acute effects of NMES priming on spike performance and three-dimensional kinematics in male university volleyball players. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to an NMES conditioning group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). All participants completed a baseline spike assessment and a second assessment 72 h later. Immediately before the second assessment, the NMES group received 30 min of stimulation applied to the upper-limb muscles, including the deltoid, biceps brachii, and triceps brachii; the external oblique as a core muscle; and the vastus lateralis as a lower-limb muscle. The control group completed the same time-matched assessment without NMES. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected using a synchronized four-camera three-dimensional motion-analysis system. The primary analysis compared performance and kinematic variables between the groups at the second assessment. Compared with the control group, the NMES group demonstrated greater ball velocity, smaller knee and ankle angles at bilateral-foot contact, greater hip, knee, and ankle angles at bilateral take-off, and higher thigh, calf, and foot segmental velocities. The NMES group also showed a smaller shoulder-hip separation angle at bilateral take-off and ball contact. These findings indicate that acute NMES priming applied to upper-limb, core, and lower-limb muscles may influence phase-specific joint configurations, lower-limb segmental velocities, and ball velocity during volleyball spiking. NMES may therefore have potential as a pre-performance neuromuscular activation strategy, although further studies using concealed allocation, blinded assessment, and direct group-by-time analyses are required.

Cirrhosis is a global health challenge associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Sarcopenia is a clinically relevant prognostic marker in cirrhosis but is frequently overlooked in traditional prognostic scores. Gold standard diagnosis relies on imaging modalities that are expensive, not widely available, and involve radiation exposure, creating a need for a simple, reliable surrogate marker that can be incorporated into prognostic systems. Calf circumference (CC) meets these requirements as a practical screening tool with potential future utility within prognostic assessment, pending further validation.

The main objective of this observational study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of a commercial ATP luminometry swab (AquaSnap Total; Hygiena, CA, USA) and an on-farm bacteriological culture (Petrifilm; 3M aerobic colony count; MN, USA) in identifying bacterial presence in automated milk feeders (AMFs) for calves. The secondary purpose of this study was to examine the association between season, AMF design (Förster-Technik base models, Urban models with non-return valves, and Holm & Laue models with non-return valves and a peristaltic pump), and the type of equipment piece (automatically washed by the system, tube-like parts, other small parts, and nipples) and bacterial presence. Twenty-four dairy farms from Centre-du-Québec (Canada) using AMFs participated in the project. Only one farm used an optional hygiene feature. Each farm was visited 6 times from March 2024 to February 2025. Sterile physiological water was used to rinse each piece of equipment, and the residual liquid was poured in a sterile collection tube. All samples were analyzed with the luminometer (LUM, measured in relative light units; RLU), which detects ATP, and with the Petrifilm (BCT, measured in cfu/mL). We used BCT thresholds of > 10,000, > 20,000, > 50,000, and > 100,000 cfu/mL and selected corresponding thresholds for LUM that maximized sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity and specificity, with their 95% Bayesian credible intervals (BCIs), were calculated for both tests with Bayesian latent class models assuming conditional dependence between the tests. Risk factors for BCT > 20,000 and > 100,000 cfu/mL were assessed through odds ratios (ORs) with 95% BCIs obtained with Bayesian logistic regression models. A total of 980 samples were collected in winter (n = 183; 18.7%), spring (n = 265; 27.0%), summer (n = 271; 27.7%), and fall (n = 261; 26.6%) from the milk containers (n = 211; 21.6%), nipples (n = 255; 26.0%), tube-like parts (n = 245; 25.0%), and other small parts (n = 269; 27.4%). The median results were 40,000 cfu/mL for BCT (interquartile range = 3,775-340,000) and 334 RLU for LUM (interquartile range = 75-2,184). The correlation between LUM and BCT was strong (rS = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.81-0.86). The LUM thresholds of > 200, > 250, > 350, and > 450 RLU for LUM corresponded to the > 10,000, > 20,000, > 50,000, and > 100,000 cfu/mL thresholds, respectively. The BCT and LUM methods had similar sensitivity and specificity at these thresholds. For example, the sensitivity of BCT and LUM were 0.86 (95% BCI = 0.82-0.90) and 0.81 (95% BCI = 0.75-0.87), and their specificity were 0.80 (95% BCI = 0.74-0.86) and 0.80 (95% BCI = 0.73-0.87) for the > 250 RLU and > 20,000 cfu/mL thresholds, respectively. Samples taken in spring (OR = 1.86; 95% BCI = 1.15-2.74), summer (OR = 1.97; 95% BCI = 1.21-2.87), and fall (OR = 1.69; 95% BCI = 1.09-2.51) had higher odds of being > 450 RLU, as measured by LUM, than the ones collected in winter. Samples taken from designs with non-return valves and a peristaltic pump had lower odds of being > 450 RLU than samples from base models (OR = 0.26; 95% BCI = 0.07-0.59). Manually washed parts had higher odds of being > 450 RLU (nipples: OR = 7.18; 95% BCI = 4.29-10.7; tube-like parts: OR = 3.70; 95% BCI = 2.26-5.46; other small parts: OR = 2.66; 95% BCI = 1.53-3.99) than automatically washed parts (milk container). These results can help investigate hygiene problems of feeding equipment in dairy calf barns.

Loss of milk yield and alteration of milk components is a primary cow-focused concern for producers when considering cow-calf contact. This is further complicated by the heterogeneity of available studies and lack of evidence-based recommendations. Our objective was to determine whether delaying cow-calf separation and allowing unrestricted suckling by the calf until 5 DIM would result in altered short-term or long-term milk yield and composition, as well as differences in circulating metabolic and inflammatory markers. Primiparous and multiparous Holstein cows (n = 81) and their singleton Holstein and Holstein x Limousin male and female calves were enrolled at birth in a randomized block design from d 1 to 5 of life. Cows were either allowed full contact with suckling by the calf (URS, n = 26) or had calves removed immediately after birth (NS, n = 55). Cows were machine-milked in a custom box stall twice daily. Each stall was configured to either allow full cow-calf contact of a pair, or complete physical and visual separation of the dam and calf. All calves were moved to a designated calf area on d 5, while cows remained in the experimental stalls until their return to the herd on d 7. Calves were temporarily removed during milking procedures in URS. Milk weights were recorded for each milking and AM and PM milk composition determined on d 2, 4, and 6. Concentrations of circulating Ca, BHB, NEFA, glucose, and haptoglobin (Hp) were determined on d 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14. Cows were milked 3 times per day after d 7, and daily milk yield and test day milk protein and fat results recorded until wk 13. Data analysis was conducted using mixed effects models. Data are reported as LSM ± SEM, unless otherwise stated. Milk yield for URS (21.1 ± 1.3 kg/d) was lower than in NS (27.0 ± 1.0 kg/d) during the observation period but was not different from NS by 12 h after separation. Milk yield differences between treatment groups were not observed after separation, and through the first 13 wk of lactation. Milk composition did not differ during the experimental period, or in the first 4 test days (∼120 DIM). Concentrations of plasma Ca (mmol/L) increased from d 1 to 7 in both groups and were marginally higher in NS (2.34 ± 0.02) than in URS (2.27 ± 0.02) over the observation period. Treatment group and day interacted for BHB (mmol/L) concentrations with peak concentrations on d 14 in NS (1.09 [95% CI: 0.94-1.28]) and on d 5 in URS (0.84 [95% CI: 0.68-1.04]). An interaction between treatment and day for Hp was found, with lower concentrations in URS-Primi (LSM [95%CI]: 0.82 mg/mL [0.61-1.11]) than all other groups on d 3 (URS - Multi: 1.03 mg/mL [0.76-1.39]; NS - Primi: 1.08 mg/mL [0.83-1.40]; NS - Multi: 1.19 mg/mL [0.92-1.52]. Delaying cow-calf separation until 5 DIM resulted in a temporary milk yield reduction, and small differences in metabolic and inflammatory markers. Long-term milk yield or composition were not affected.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are prevalent in livestock farms, with manure serving as a major reservoir. Their distribution and transmission are associated with husbandry practices. To evaluate the presence and abundance of ARGs along the feces-bedding-milk-calves chain, particularly under the practice of recycled manure solids for bedding (RMSB), we sampled from 5 critical stages: fecal slurry before anaerobic digestion, solids after solid-liquid separation, bedding derived from dried solids, unpasteurized mixed milk before feeding calves, and calf feces in 4 large-scale dairy farms (>1,000 lactating cows each). We analyzed ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) via PCR, characterized bacterial communities using 16sRNA sequencing, measured the concentrations of heavy metals and nutrients (total carbon and nitrogen), and evaluated the correlations between ARGs abundance and these factors using partial least squares path modeling analysis and redundancy analysis. A total of 27 ARGs and 10 MEGs subtypes were detected. Among these, 8 ARGs were found to be prevalent across all groups: blaTEM and cfxA (β-lactamase resistance), dfrA1 (sulfonamide resistance), strA and strB (aminoglycoside resistance), tetH, tet40, and tetQ (tetracycline resistance) besides 7 MGEs. Notably, higher ARG level in calf feces underscores urgent intervention needs. We also found that heavy metals, especially Zn and Pb, were positively correlated with ARG abundance. Most ARGs exhibited co-occurrence and significant correlation with microorganisms (including Enterococcus and Bacteroides), and MGEs (such as IS26, intI1, and Tp614). These findings suggested that the presence of continuous ARGs along the chain may be associated with RMSB, but this association requires further verification. Consequently, improved manure and bedding management, optimized dietary Zn levels, and enhanced removal or inactivation of heavy metals during bedding treatment could substantially lower the ecological and public health risks associated with ARG dissemination.

Both whey and skim milk are considered valuable sources of protein in calf milk replacer (MR). However, it is still unclear which source is more beneficial for performance of calves. This study evaluated the effects of whey-based MR and MRs containing 25% or 50% inclusion of skim milk on the growth performance of dairy calves. Ninety Holstein calves (10 d old; 57 females and 33 males; 44.9 ± 4.9 kg) were semi-randomly assigned to one of 3 groups (n = 30/group): 0% skim milk in MR (on as-fed basis; G0), 25% skim milk in MR (G25), and 50% skim milk in MR (G50). Allocation was performed to maintain a balanced distribution of calf sex and calves born to primiparous and multiparous cows among groups. Milk replacers were formulated to contain a similar concentration of protein, fat, and essential amino acids. Calves were fed 7.5 L daily of MR (1200 g of MR powder) in 3 feedings (3 × 2.5 L) and starter ad libitum. Data were analyzed using mixed models, with treatment, calf sex, and dam parity included as fixed effects, and initial BW as a covariate for BW, ADG, starter intake, and feed efficiency. Results were expressed as adjusted least squares means. When justified, means between groups were separated using Tukey's test. Passive immunity and initial BW did not differ between groups. Cumulative MR and starter intake did not differ between groups. Final BW, ADG, and feed efficiency were higher in G25 compared with G50, but did not differ between G0 and G25 or G0 and G50. Fecal scores and health treatments did not differ between groups. In the current study, growth performance of calves fed whey-based MR did not differ from those fed MR containing skim milk powder. Overall, no statistical evidence of a difference was detected between G0 and the skim-milk-containing treatments under the conditions of this study. However, calves fed MR containing 50% skim milk had 8.5% lower ADG and 4% lower final BW than those fed MR containing 25% skim milk.

Physiological effects of delaying cow-calf separation until a few days after birth are of increasing interest as access to the dam makes the rich profile of immunological, nutritive, and bioactive factors of transition milk (TM) available for postnatal development of the calf. Scientific inquiry into opportunities for cow-calf contact may also inform the current cow-calf contact debate. Our objective was to compare preweaning health and growth of calves with access to TM, with or without extended dam contact. Singleton Holstein and Holstein x Limousin male and female calves (n = 81) and their primiparous and multiparous Holstein dams were enrolled at birth in a randomized block design from d 0 to 5 of life to (1) delayed separation until 5 d with unrestricted suckling of TM (URS, n = 26), (2) immediate separation after birth and offered their dam's TM (n = 27) twice daily (up to 10% BW/feeding), or (3) immediate separation and offered unpasteurized whole milk (WM, n = 28) twice daily (up to 10% BW/feeding). All calves received a single meal of maternal colostrum (8% of BW) within 4 h of calving. All calves were moved to a designated calf area on d 5, while cows remained in the experimental stalls until d 7 after which they returned to the herd. Calves were blood sampled, weighed, and assigned health scores according to a rubric (adapted from the Wisconsin Calf Health Scorer) before each morning feeding. On d 0 and 7, calf height was measured at the withers and hips. Calves that were retained as Holstein replacement heifers (n = 38) were raised according to herd protocols after d 7, and were weighed, withers and hip height measured, and health scores assessed once per week until weaning at d 63. Serum IgG concentrations were quantified by radial immunodiffusion and packed cell volume (PCV) by centrifugation. Data analysis was conducted using mixed effects models, or Pearson's chi-squared test as appropriate. Data are reported as LSM ± SEM. Serum IgG concentrations (g/L) 1 d after colostrum feeding (URS: 42.1 ± 2.0; TM: 44.6 ± 1.9; WM: 41.9 ± 1.9) were not different between groups and declined by a similar percentage from d 1 to 7 (22.7 ± 0.6%), whereas PCV (%) was different between groups (URS: 38.3 ± 1.4; TM: 38.7 ± 1.5; WM: 41.5 ± 1.4). There was no difference between groups in BW, ADG, or withers and hip heights through the first 63 d, but BW interacted with group such that URS calves had greater weight during the suckling phase only. There was no association of treatment with fever or diarrhea events from d 1 to 7, or d 7 to 63. Feeding of TM, with and without cow-calf contact, did not result in meaningful differences in growth or health indicators compared with WM feeding, however, the benefits of TM may not be fully explained by serum IgG concentration and short-term growth indicators.

Glyphosate (GLY) and glufosinate (GLU), which is similar to GLY, are affordable and non-selective herbicides which are used globally. They are natural resources pollutants whose genotoxic effects have been investigated. For the first time in literature, this study monitored the biointeraction between glyphosate (GLY), glufosinate (GLU), their commercial formulants (GLY-T and GLU-T), and various DNA samples. This was achieved using a pencil graphite electrode (PGE) with cyclic voltammetry (CV). Fish sperm DNA (fsDNA), calf thymus double-stranded (ctdsDNA) and single-stranded DNA (ctssDNA) and single-stranded 25-base-length purine or pyrimidine oligonucleotides were immobilized on the surface of PGE, and the biointeraction was investigated. The decreases in the average cathodic peak (Ic) measured by CV were evaluated. GLU, GLU-T and their formulants showed their effects on fsDNA and ctssDNA more than ctdsDNA. Voltammetric results indicated that GLU, GLU-T, and their formulants exhibited effects on pyrimidine bases, with the most effect observed on cytosine. The decreases % in the average Ic were calculated as 23.19%, 15.91%, 18.53% and 28.34% after the biointeraction between 750 nM polyC and 50 μg/mL GLU, 10 μg/mL GLU-T, 5 μg/mL GLY or 0.25 μg/mL GLY-T, respectively. The biointeraction between the herbicides and their formulants with polyC was also investigated in simulated water and tap water samples with slight changes in the biosensor response. Molecular docking studies enlightened binding mechanisms of GLY and GLU on the polyoligonucleotides, and confirmed the electrochemical results. The greenness level of the study was calculated as 0.77 using Analytical GREEnness Metric Approach and Software (AGREE).

Respiratory tract infection (RTI) is a common diagnosis in cattle, particularly in calves, and contributes substantially to antimicrobial use. This study describes the incidence and patterns of RTI treatments in Norwegian cattle, with emphasis on antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug use. Registry data from 2015 to 2022 were extracted from two national cattle databases, covering more than 67,000 cattle treated for RTI. The annual proportion of herds with at least one RTI treatment increased from 24% in 2015 to 44% in 2022. The median annual number of treatments per affected herd was two. Treatments peaked during winter. On calf level, the probability of receiving at least one RTI treatment by 180 days of age increased from 1.8% to 2.4% over the study period. Median age at first treatment was 52 days. RTI treatments usually involved three or fewer calves (96%), and most animals received only one RTI treatment. Antimicrobials were administered in 96.5% of treatments, most commonly penicillins (β-lactamase sensitive; 54.5%), followed by amphenicols (15.2%) and tetracyclines (7.9%). Short-acting formulations predominated (89.2%). Antimicrobial class changes within 10 days of initial treatment occurred in 13% of calves, typically after four days. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were co-administered with antimicrobials in 85% of treatments. In conclusion, RTI treatments in Norwegian cattle were widely distributed across herds and increased over time. Treatment practices remained dominated by penicillin, and repeated treatments and changes in antimicrobial class were uncommon. This suggests that narrow-spectrum first-line therapy was generally sufficient in routine RTI management.

The objective was to determine whether combining equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and 48-h temporary calf removal (CR) at the end of an estradiol and progesterone (P4)-based estrous synchronization protocol for fixed-time AI (TAI) improves pregnancy per AI (P/AI) in suckled multiparous and primiparous Nellore cows. Suckled cows (n = 2643) with adequate body condition score (>95% with BCS ≥ 2.5 on a 5-point scale) were assigned to receive CR, 300 IU of eCG, or eCG + CR on day -2 (D-2) followed by measurement of follicular diameter and estrus expression by TAI (D0), serum P4 concentrations on D7, pregnancy per AI (P/AI) on D30, and calf weaning weights. At TAI, eCG-treated cows had larger follicle diameter (13.5 mm) than CR-treated cows (13.2 mm vs. eCG + CR: 13.1 mm, SEM: 0.2), P < 0.05. Estrus expression was greater in CR and eCG + CR treated cows than in eCG-treated cows (eCG: 59.5[b]% vs. CR: 77.8[a]% vs. eCG + CR: 75.0[a]%). Among primiparous cows, eCG-based treatment (eCG and eCG + CR) resulted in greater serum P4 concentrations on D7 than CR alone. Despite these physiological differences, P/AI was similar among treatments (eCG: 49.8% vs. CR: 53.6% vs. eCG + CR: 49.4%). Calves from cows treated with CR and eCG + CR were lighter (unadjusted weaning weights: 184.1 and 186.2 kg, respectively) than calves from eCG-treated cows (189.2 kg). In conclusion, combining eCG and CR did not improve P/AI compared with either treatment alone. Temporary 48-h calf removal increased estrus expression but did not improve fertility and reduced calf weaning weight. In contrast, eCG alone resulted in heavier calves at weaning, supporting its use over temporary 48-h calf removal in estrous synchronization programs when calf weaning weight is also considered.

Malnutrition is a frequent complication of Crohn's disease (CD), but multidimensional nutritional data from South Asian populations remain limited. This cross-sectional study compared nutritional status between active disease and remission among 127 South Asian adults with CD attending a tertiary-care center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Disease activity was assessed using the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI), Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease (SES-CD), and magnetic resonance enterography (MRE). Nutritional assessment included body mass index (BMI), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), calf circumference (CC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and biochemical measurements. Protein-energy malnutrition was operationalized using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) framework, with BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 as the available phenotypic criterion and CD-related inflammatory and gastrointestinal burden as the etiologic criterion. Of 127 participants, 63 had active disease, and 64 were in remission. Overall, 60 participants (47.2%) met the study definition of GLIM malnutrition, with a substantially higher frequency in active disease than in remission (81.0% vs. 14.1%, P < 0.001). Participants with active disease had significantly lower BMI, MUAC, CC, sex-stratified TSF, MAMC, and MNA scores (all P < 0.001). Hemoglobin, serum iron, albumin, and zinc concentrations were also lower in active disease (all P < 0.001), whereas folate (P = 0.411) and vitamin B12 (P = 0.051) did not differ significantly. BMI correlated positively with MUAC, CC, TSF, MAMC, and MNA score (rs = 0.366-0.967; all P < 0.001), with the weakest association observed for MAMC, while correlations with biochemical markers were weaker and were generally not statistically significant after subgroup stratification. The objective disease-activity sensitivity analysis based on SES-CD and/or MRE produced the same active and remission classification as the primary analysis (100% agreement; Cohen's κ = 1.000). These findings demonstrate a substantial burden of protein-energy malnutrition in Bangladeshi adults with CD, particularly during active disease, while also showing that nutritional impairment may persist during remission. Simple anthropometric measures provide useful information on physical tissue depletion, but biochemical abnormalities should be interpreted alongside disease activity because markers such as albumin and zinc may be influenced by systemic inflammation in addition to nutritional status. A multidimensional approach combining anthropometric assessment with targeted biochemical evaluation may therefore provide a more comprehensive assessment of nutritional status in CD.

The Girolando breed, a cross between Holstein (Bos taurus) and Gir (Bos indicus), is the primary choice for dairy production in Brazilian tropical regions, as it combines high productive potential with adaptation to the tropical environment. Since the pre-weaning period is crucial for development, this study aimed to evaluate genetic and phenotypic associations among growth, health, and reproductive traits in Girolando cattle. The dataset included 15,311 heifers born between 2017 and 2024. Traits evaluated included birth weight (BW), weaning weight (W70), and average daily gain (ADG); health traits: diarrhoea (CD), pneumonia (BP), umbilical infection (UI), and tick fever (TF); and heifer reproduction: age at first calving (AFC). (Co)variance components were estimated using an animal mixed model under Bayesian inference. Single-trait analyses estimated heritabilities, while three-trait analyses estimated correlations among traits. Heritabilities ranged from low to moderate, with higher values for BW (0.27) and W70 (0.27), and lower for ADG (0.17), AFC (0.07), and diseases (0.04 to 0.13). Favourable genetic correlations were observed between growth and reproductive precocity, specifically ADG × AFC (-0.75), indicating that animals with higher growth performance tend to have reduced AFC. However, UI showed unfavourable genetic correlations with growth traits (BW = 0.75; W70 = 0.69; ADG = 0.50). Given that umbilical infections typically occur in the first weeks of life prior to the main growth period, these associations should be interpreted with caution, as they represent underlying genetic relationships rather than direct linear causality. Phenotypic correlations followed similar patterns but with a lower magnitude. These results confirm that growth, calf health, and reproduction are genetically correlated, reinforcing the importance of integrated selection programs to promote productive efficiency and calf health in tropical dairy systems.