Animal Production Research Centre

In apiculture, the natural acaricide formic acid (FA) is considered highly effective in killing Varroa mites, including their reproductive phase, which takes place in capped brood cells. It is recommended for long-term treatment in integrated pest management programs around the world. Using AI-based computer technology, we assessed potentially harmful effects of FA (60%) on brood development after 6 days of continuous treatment. A single in-hive application of FA had negative effects on the presence of eggs, young, and old larvae. All the developmental stages in open brood were strongly reduced after the FA treatment, whereas continuous presence of eggs and young larvae throughout the entire test period was observed in the control group. The computer analysis revealed changes in reproductive performance regarding egg laying and brood rearing in colonies treated with FA. The areas of empty cells decreased to 22% in the FA treatment group, whereas in the control, they increased to 46% at Brood Area Fixing Day (BFD) +22, thus indicating colony expectation of continuous egg laying in the next period.

Illustrated digital picture books are widely used for second-language reading and vocabulary growth. We ask how close current generative AI (GenAI) tools are to producing such books on demand for specific learners. Using the ChatGPT-based Learning And Reading (C-LARA) platform with GPT-5 for text/annotation and GPT-Image-1 for illustration, we ran three pilot studies. Study 1 used six AI-generated English books glossed into Chinese, French, and Ukrainian and evaluated them using page-level and whole-book Likert questionnaires completed by teachers and students. Study 2 created six English books targeted at low-intermediate East-Asian adults who had recently arrived in Adelaide and gathered student and teacher ratings. Study 3 piloted an individually tailored German mini-course for one anglophone learner, with judgements from the learner and two germanophone teachers. Images and Chinese glossing were consistently strong; French glossing was good but showed issues with gender agreement, register, and naturalness of phrasing; and Ukrainian glossing underperformed, with morphosyntax and idiom errors. Students rated tailored English texts positively, while teachers requested tighter briefs and curricular alignment. The German pilot was engaging and largely usable, with minor image-consistency and cultural-detail issues. We conclude that for well-supported language pairs (in particular, English–Chinese), the workflow is close to classroom/self-study usability, while other language pairs need improved multi-word expression handling and glossing. All resources are reproducible on the open-source platform. We adopt an interdisciplinary stance which combines aspects taken from computer science, linguistics, and language education.

Cardio-oncology is a new and fast-evolving collaborative subdiscipline of cardiology whose goal is to increase the quality and length of the lives of oncological patients with precise prophylactic and therapeutical interventions. Novel targeted therapies present a challenge to recognize and treat rare adverse cardiovascular effects, usually without any evidence-based guidance. Therefore, scrupulous descriptions of clinical cases and drafting trials for real-world safety are paramount. We present a case of a 50-year-old Caucasian female who was diagnosed with cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction caused by combined BRAF and MEK inhibition in the treatment of malignant melanoma. The patient presented atypically with isolated severe fatigue without other specific cardiovascular symptoms. The findings of echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance indicated apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM), which is rare in our region. We stopped the oncological therapy and treated the patient with an ACEinhibitor, a beta-blocker, and an SGLT-2 inhibitor with a satisfactory effect. During the upcoming six months, the patient's state improved, and the control echocardiography ruled out an AHCM. As the patient's state rapidly improved after the withdrawal of BRAF and MEK inhibitors and the morphological finding was reversible, it can be theorized that the cardiotoxicity caused by the aforementioned drugs mimicked the phenotype of AHCM.

In this study, response of ovarian cells (human granulosa cell line HGL5, and human adenocarcinoma cell line OVCAR-3) to short-term pomegranate peel extract (PPE) treatment (for 24 hours in cell culture) was evaluated in vitro. Quantitative and qualitative screening of polyphenols revealed punicalagins α and β as major polyphenolic components. Total phenolic content (TPC) was 93.76 mg GAE/g d.w. with a high antioxidant activity of 95.30 mg TEAC/g d.w. In OVCAR-3, PPE treatment inhibited the metabolic activity, and increased cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDKN1A, p21) level at the highest dose, but not in HGL5. Flow cytometry analysis could not detect any significant difference between proportions of live, dead, and apoptotic cells in both cell lines. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) revealed an antioxidant effect on HGL5, and a prooxidant effect by stimulating ROS generation in OVCAR-3 cells at the higher doses of PPE. However, in contrast to HGL5, PPE treatment decreased release of growth factors - TGF-β2 and EGF at the highest dose, as well as their receptors TGFBR2 and EGFR in OVCAR-3 cells. PPE also influenced steroidogenesis in granulosa cells HGL5 by stimulating 17β-estradiol secretion at higher doses. In conclusion, the present study highlighted the bioactive compounds in pomegranate peels and the possible mechanisms of action of PPE, shedding light on its promising role in ovarian cancer (chemo)prevention and/or management.

To investigate factors influencing the frequency and type of microembolic signals (MES) detected using transcranial Doppler (TCD) in patients undergoing elective coronary intervention, and to correlate MES with silent stroke detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive dysfunction. The subset study of a randomized clinical trial was conducted on 70 patients (58 males; mean age 59.9 ± 8.4 years) who underwent bilateral TCD monitoring of middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) during elective coronary interventions. Neurologic examination and brain MRI were performed prior to, and 24 h post‑intervention. Cognitive function tests were performed prior to, and on day 30 post‑intervention. The incidence of detected MES was 94.3 %. Eighteen (25.7 %) patients had new clinically asymptomatic ischemic lesions on MRI. The number of solid MES negatively correlated with changes in revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination test (ACE-R) and, the number of solid MES and combinations of solid and gaseous MES negatively correlated with changes in Mini Mental‑State Examination (MMSE) conducted on day 30 after the intervention (p < 0.05 in all cases). Cardiac catheterization was associated with a high risk of cerebral embolism in our patients. A higher number of solid MES and combinations of solid and gaseous MES was associated with the deterioration in cognitive tests (Tab. 5, Fig. 3, Ref. 30).

Simple SummaryBiodiversity protection is one of our most important challenges today. Local animal breeds, as an essential piece of cultural heritage, form integral part of the biodiversity of individual countries and regions. Cryopreservation of sperm is one of the powerful tools for the conservation of animal genetic resources by creation of gene banks containing long-term stored genetic material. Cryopreservation of ram sperm faces several obstacles, such as the possible influence of individuality and breed characteristics on resistance to damage caused by low temperatures. In our research, we deal with the investigation of these differences between various breeds bred in Central Europe.The aim of our research was to compare three Slovak sheep breeds in the quality parameters of cryopreserved sperm. The ejaculates of Slovak Dairy (SD), Native Wallachian (NW), and Improved Wallachian (IW) sheep rams (n = 12) were collected by electro-ejaculation. Heterospermic samples were created from suitable ejaculates, separately for each breed (at least 90% of total and 80% of progressive motility). Samples were equilibrated in a Triladyl® diluent and frozen by automated freezing. Sperm samples were subjected to the motility, morphology, (CASA), viability and apoptosis (DRAQ7/Yo-Pro-1), fertilizing capability (penetration/fertilization test (P/F) in vitro) and acrosomal status (transmission electron microscopy) assays before freezing and after thawing. It was found that there were no significant differences (p < 0.05) between the evaluated breeds in motility, viability, apoptosis, morphological properties, and fertilizing ability of cryopreserved sperm. Significant differences occurred in acrosomal status. Our results demonstrate that the use of the selected cryopreservation protocol is suitable for at least three different sheep breeds, which can greatly benefit the biodiversity protection and simplifies the creation of an animal genetic resources gene bank.

Dietary composition and husbandry practices largely determine the essential trace element status and the toxic metal exposure of livestock and consequently their concentrations in animal products. The main objective of this study was to determine the real contamination of selected areas of Slovakia compared with existing Environmental regionalization of the Slovak Republic (SR) created by the Ministry of the Environment SR. Another aim of this study was to determine the content of essential and toxic metals in feed and milk of dairy cows on selected farms in Slovakia referred to the suitability of the use of milk from these areas to other food processing. This article deals with the analysis of the content of selected elements in feed and milk of dairy cows in the area of Novoť (Northern Slovakia; area with undisturbed environment) and Čečejovce (Eastern Slovakia; highly disturbed environment). Eleven elements have been analyzed (essential elements: calcium, zinc, magnesium, selenium, iron, copper; toxic elements: arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, nickel). Samples of feed and milk were collected five times during the spring season and five times during the autumn season in 2016. Analysis of samples was performed in Eurofins Bel/Novamann (Nové Zámky, Slovak Republic). Analyses were performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic emission spectrometry. The obtained values of the individual elements in the feed and milk were evaluated by Student's t test. Significantly higher contents of essential elements Ca, Zn, Fe, Mg, and Cu were found in the feed of dairy cows in Čečejovce (P < 0.001). Significantly higher (P < 0.001) As and Ni content in feed in Čečejovce in autumn season was also recorded. However, the content of these elements in feed did not affect their milk content. The content of Ca, Zn, and Mg in milk was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in Novoť in both investigated seasons. Some essential elements and toxic elements in feed and milk were below the LOQ (limit of quantification). Reduced content of Ca and Zn in milk in both farms compared with optimal limits, decreased Ca and Mg content in feed in Novoť, and a significant increase of Ca and Mg in feed in Čečejovce in autumn season were found. It can be concluded, due to the low content of toxic elements on these farms, that the use of milk of dairy cows from these areas for direct use or for dairy product processing is appropriate and poses no health risk to the consumers.