Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre

Abstract Leaf diseases pose a serious threat to faba bean production. Leaf blotch of faba bean, caused by Alternaria spp., has become increasingly widespread and destructive in several countries. Leaf diseases pose a serious threat to faba bean production. The infection of plant by pathogens can be influenced by various factors associated with the host plant, environmental conditions and presence of other microorganisms. The phyllosphere and endosphere play a critical role in plant health and disease development. This study aimed to evaluate the factors shaping the structure and diversity of fungal communities associated with faba beans. Plant samples were collected in 2004 from two intensively managed faba bean production fields in the central region of Latvia. Fungal assemblages were characterized using an ITS region metabarcoding approach based on Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Among the assigned amplicon sequence variant (AVS), 65% belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, while approximately 4% were classified as Basidiomycota. Alternaria and Cladosporium were the dominant genera across samples. The alfa and beta diversities of fungal communities was higher during flowering of faba beans to compare with ripening. The higher abundance of Basidiomycota yeasts were observed during flowering, in contrast, Cladosporium genus was significantly more abundant during ripening. Alternaria DNA was found on leaves that showed no symptoms of the disease. The diversity and composition of fungal communities were significantly influenced by sampling time and presence of leaf blotch, caused by Alternaria spp.

Predation risk influences how animals approach predictable food sources where ambush predators may be present. In parids, chick-a-dee calls are used in a wide variety of contexts related to social cohesion and are well known as mobbing signals. Here, we examined whether they are also produced in the absence of visible predators in contexts in which predation risk may nevertheless be latent or uncertain. We tested whether chick-a-dee calls emitted by Willow Tits (Poecile montanus) during feeder approach exhibit acoustic and recruitment characteristics comparable to mobbing calls elicited by predator models. The study included repeated observations of 44 individuals across 11 flocks, enabling within-individual comparisons across habitat contexts. We analyzed call structure, calling duration, and recruitment latency in relation to habitat visibility and dominance status. Calls produced during the feeder approach showed overlapping structural features with mobbing calls and were associated with the recruitment of flock members, particularly in dense habitat. Mixed-effects models confirmed significant effects of habitat structure, predator presentation, and social rank on calling behavior and recruitment dynamics. These patterns are consistent with mobbing-like signaling under conditions of uncertain predation risk. Because predator presence and detection outcomes were not directly measured, our findings provide behavioral evidence compatible with proactive signaling rather than functional confirmation of predator probing.

Thyroid diseases are common and highly heritable. We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from 19 biobanks for five thyroid diseases: thyroid cancer (ThC), benign nodular goiter, Graves’ disease, lymphocytic thyroiditis and primary hypothyroidism. We analyzed genetic association data from ~2.9 million genomes and identified 313 known and 570 new independent loci linked to thyroid diseases. We discovered genetic correlations between ThC, benign nodular goiter and autoimmune thyroid diseases (rg = 0.16–0.97). Telomere maintenance genes contributed to benign and malignant thyroid nodular disease risk, whereas cell cycle, DNA repair and damage response genes were associated with ThC. We propose a paradigm that explains genetic predisposition to benign and malignant thyroid nodules. We found polygenic risk score associations with ThC risk of structural disease recurrence, tumor size, multifocality, lymph node metastases and extranodal extension. Polygenic risk scores identified individuals with aggressive ThC in a biobank, creating an opportunity for genetically informed population screening.

Phototaxis, the movement toward or away from light, is a fundamental behavior with ecological and evolutionary relevance. In Drosophila melanogaster, phototactic choice shows individual variability and has been linked to serotonergic signaling. Using a high-throughput FlyVac assay to test single flies in parallel, we reared w1118 flies on (1) standard food (Control), (2) aMW (a serotonin-synthesis inhibitor), (3) 5-HTP (a serotonin precursor), or (4) escitalopram (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI). Light-choice probability (LCP) did not differ between Control and aMW. LCP was lower in 5-HTP and escitalopram than in Control and aMW, and lower with escitalopram than with 5-HTP. Between-fly variability (MADn) differed across treatments: escitalopram exhibited higher dispersion than Control and aMW, whereas 5-HTP did not differ reliably from Control. These findings support the hypothesis that serotonin modulates behavioral predictability and mean choice bias; variability effects were compound-specific (escitalopram modestly increased MADn, whereas 5-HTP did not differ from Control). Given the rising costs and ethical constraints of vertebrate models, our results highlight Drosophila and FlyVac as a powerful, cost-effective system for investigating SSRI effects on decision phenotypes.

Correction to: Nature Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12675, published online 7 September 2016 In this article the author name Rikki Cannioto was incorrectly written as Rikki Canniotto. The original article has been corrected.

BackgroundTherapeutic options against metallo-β-lactamase producing P. aeruginosa (MBL-PA) are limited due to multi-drug resistance. A jumbo phage isolated from wastewater in Greece was characterized microbiologically and genetically and evaluated for its potential as a therapeutic agent alone or in combination with antibiotics in an experimental thigh infection mouse model.MethodsThe host range of the jumbo phage vB_PaerM_AttikonH10 (AttikonH10) against 20 MBL-PA clinical isolates and 10 susceptible strains, one-step phage growth and growth curves of mid-exponential phase bacteria upon addition of the phage were analyzed. Whole-genome sequencing was performed and the de novo assembled complete phage genome was compared with other jumbo phages. In vivo pharmacokinetics in different tissues as well as the efficacy of two dosing regimens 109 and 106 PFU/mouse administered intraperitoneally alone and in combination with amikacin (384 mg/kg/day) was tested against an MBL-PA clinical isolate in murine thigh infection model.ResultsThe phage formed small plaques in double-layer agar and demonstrated clear or semi-clear lysis in 83.3% (25/30) of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. Growth curves showed a > 94% growth inhibition in the presence of phage even at the lowest multiplicity of infection ratio tested (10–5). Whole genome analysis indicated a jumbo dsDNA phage with 278,406 bp (36.92% GC) belonging to Phikzvirus that is predicted to host up to 413 putative ORFs and 6 tRNA genes. No known lysogeny-associated genes, virulence factors, or antimicrobial resistance genes were identified within the genome. Phage titres 104–106 PFU/tissue were detected in all mouse tissues with elimination half-life of 3.4 h except in bronchoalveolar lavage where no phages were found. Only the high phage dose (109 PFU/mouse) reduced bacterial load in thigh by 1.09 log10 cfu/thigh compared to placebo, similar to amikacin monotherapy (1.19 log10 cfu/thigh), while their combination achieved a greater reduction of 2.07 log10 cfu/thigh compared to each monotherapy (p = 0.0044–0.0048).ConclusionsThe newly reported Phikzvirus jumbo phage AttikonH10 demonstrated a broad host range, strong lytic activity and synergistic effects with amikacin against MBL-PA isolates making it a candidate for phage therapy.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12929-025-01169-z.

This article presents RETROFIT-LAT: a collection of data from 1010 residential building projects, funded by the Republic of Latvia's Environmental Investment Fund (LEIF). The first dataset analyses the energy performance and sustainability of buildings before and after retrofitting actions, including their energy consumption, CO 2 emissions, and energy classes. It spans projects implemented from 1870 to 2022, covering various building types and regions, with data on their energy use, heat loss coefficients, and both renewable and non-renewable energy contributions. The second dataset focuses on photovoltaic (solar panel) installations as part of energy efficiency measures. It documents electricity consumption, primary energy use before and after installation, inverter power, and reductions in CO 2 emissions. By making this data available in a structured and analyzable format, RETROFIT-LAT aims to support the development of data-driven assessments, including machine learning models for forecasting retrofit outcomes. It is intended to assist researchers, engineers, and policymakers in evaluating and designing effective energy efficiency strategies for residential buildings.