Cold exposure is an unavoidable stressor in cold regions, leading to growth retardation, oxidative damage, and endocrine disruption. This study investigated changes in blood parameters and antioxidant function in the brown adipose tissue (BAT) of mice exposed to cold. Sixteen naturally mated female mice (aged 70 days) were selected and divided into a control group (CON, n = 8, 25 ± 1 °C) and a cold exposure group (CE, n = 8, 4 ± 1 °C). Each pregnant female gave birth to approximately 12 pups, and the litter (dams and pups co-housed) served as the independent experimental unit, with both euthanized for sampling when the pups reached 20 days of age. Results showed that cold exposure increased ADFI and ADG but decreased the feed conversion rate (FCR) in lactating mice. It also decreased platelet count (PLT) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and decreased TG and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels. Hormonal changes included increased adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), apelin 12 (AP12), INS, NE, decreased cortisol (COR), LEP, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). In pups, cold exposure inhibited growth, reduced PLT, plateletcrit (PCT), red blood cells (RBC), and hemoglobin (HGB), altered lipid profiles, and induced hormonal shifts. Notably, cold exposure enhanced the BAT antioxidant capacity in pups, increasing the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and antioxidant enzyme activities, as supported by gene expression. These findings suggest that, despite growth suppression, mice maintain homeostasis by modulating blood parameters and enhancing BAT antioxidant function to mitigate cold-induced damage.

This report presents a case of congenital hypothyroidism in a 3-year-old female Persian cat, a condition that is seldom encountered in feline patients. The cat was presented with chronic renal failure and stunted growth, exhibiting a unique combination of symptoms, including dwarfism, an abnormal skull shape and open growth plates. A complete blood count (CBC) identified moderate anaemia, while the biochemical analysis showed elevated serum creatinine levels and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Low serum total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations, both before and after the administration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism. Following this, levothyroxine supplementation was initiated. After 1 week of therapy, the cat displayed decreased creatinine levels and increased activity. This case highlights that feline hypothyroidism, although rare, should be considered a differential diagnosis in similar cases.

Age-specific thyrotropin (TSH) reference intervals (RIs) during the first year of life remain inadequately defined, posing a significant challenge given the essential role of thyroid hormones in normal growth and neurodevelopment. Therefore, applying age-specific TSH RIs in the paediatric population is essential for accurate interpretation and to prevent diagnostic uncertainty and unnecessary testing. This indirect RI study aimed to establish statistically derived age partitions for TSH RIs that reflect thyroid physiology during the first year of life. De-identified TSH results from infants were extracted from a tertiary-care public hospital in Victoria, Australia. After excluding results from infants with repeat testing, extreme TSH values, and conditions affecting thyroid physiology, the remaining data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, applied sequentially across 3-monthly, weekly, and daily intervals to identify physiologically relevant inflection points for age partitioning. The derived partitions were then validated using the proportion criteria described by Lahti et al., and TSH RIs were calculated as the 2.5th-97.5th percentiles. Of 17,525 TSH results from 11,045 infants, 7708 met the inclusion criteria. Five age partitions were established: days 0-1, 2, 3, 4-89, and 90-365. TSH peaked on days 0-1 (RI: 1.9-40.1 mIU/L), declined sharply by day 2, and decreased more gradually to near-adult levels by days 90-365 (RI: 0.7-5.7 mIU/L). No clinically significant sex differences were observed. This study presents a robust, data-driven framework for defining age-specific TSH RIs during the first year of life. The proposed methodology enhances diagnostic accuracy for thyroid disorders in infants and provides a reproducible approach for defining physiologically meaningful age partitions for other age-dependent analytes.

Synthetic detergents including Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and Branched alkylbenzene sulfonates (BAS) are commonly used in household and industrial cleaning products, yet their chronic toxicological effects on freshwater fish species remain inadequately explored. The current study investigates the sub-lethal effects of these synthetic detergents on hemato-biochemical profile of freshwater fish Labeo rohita. The 96-h LC50 values of LAS and BAS for the selected fish were calculated as 6.45 mg/L and 8.31 mg/L, respectively, using the probit analysis method. A total of 180 fish specimens were randomly subjected to a triplicate experimental setup, with 60 fish allocated to each replicate, marked as G0, G1, G2 ang G3 where G0 served as control while the remaining three groups were treated with LAS (3.22 mg/L), BAS (4.15 mg/L) and their binary mixture (LAS, 1.61 mg/L + BAS, 2.7 mg/L) respectively, for a period of 30 days. Post exposure analysis revealed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit value with increase in WBCs and platelets count in detergents exposed fish, compared to control. Among endocrine hormones T3, T4 and insulin levels decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while TSH and Cortisol were increased in the detergents exposed fish. Blood levels of NO, IgM, and RB were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in all detergent treated fish, whereas lysozyme activity was significantly increased only in the LAS and mixture detergent treated fish. Antioxidant biomarkers, including CAT, SOD, and GSH, were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), whereas MDA levels showed a marked increase in detergents exposed fish. Histopathological analysis identified substantial alterations in gill tissues across all the detergents exposed groups. Furthermore, genotoxic analysis demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in micronuclei (MNs) and erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENAs), confirming the genotoxic potential of the tested detergents. These findings suggest that chronic exposure to commonly used detergents can disrupt multiple physiological systems in L. rohita, highlighting the potential ecological risks of detergent pollution in freshwater ecosystems.