Third Way

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) can impact on cattle health and welfare as well as cause economic losses associated with lower productivity but are often overlooked by farmers as a sub-clinical issue. Infections are routinely controlled with prophylactic use of anthelmintics but resistance to the available products has been reported. The prevalence of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in cattle GIN is advancing in certain species, making control more challenging. This study shows the current prevalence and diversity of GIN populations in British commercial cattle herds and the extent of infection in traded animals. Faecal samples were collected from 455 cattle herds; 395 from groups being sold through livestock auctions and a further 60 from samples submitted to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for monitoring purposes. Faecal egg counts (FEC) were conducted on all samples and nematode eggs recovered for molecular species identification using Illumina MiSeq. Of the traded cattle, 67% had a positive faecal egg count, with a mean FEC of 20 eggs per gram (epg) (95% CI: 11 - 34). Samples from APHA had a mean FEC of 72 epg (95% CI: 56-93). Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora were the most common species identified, with co-infections of these two species found in 87% of samples. A diverse range of additional species were also identified, and these were found to vary with the pedigree status of cattle sampled and geographic location. Our results highlight that most cattle sold at auction were carrying GIN, which included a high prevalence of the pathogenic species O. ostertagi. These findings stress the need for effective biosecurity measures for new and returning cattle to minimise the movement of GIN between farms.

Epoxy resins are widely used in aerospace and defense composites owing to their excellent mechanical strength and thermal resistance, and the structural characteristics of curing agents are critical in determining final network properties. In this study, the high-functionality epoxy resin tetraglycidyl-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM) was cured with two positional isomers of diaminodiphenyl sulfone (3,3′-DDS and 4,4′-DDS), and the resulting networks were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, while complementary density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted on the curing agents to elucidate their molecular structures. Under identical curing conditions, the 3,3′-DDS network exhibited a higher tensile modulus with denser packing, whereas the 4,4′-DDS network showed broader free volume distribution and stronger π-electron resonance interactions. Thermal characterization further revealed that the 4,4′-DDS system possessed a higher glass transition temperature (Tg) and lower coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE), consistent with molecular dynamics results such as mean square displacement and ring-flip behavior. Overall, this study identifies positional isomerism in DDS as a key factor governing the balance between mechanical stiffness and thermal stability in TGDDM-based networks, thereby providing molecular-level insights for the rational design of high-performance epoxy materials.

Physical inactivity remains a critical public health concern in the UK, contributing to over one in six deaths and imposing substantial economic costs. Despite strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) promotion in healthcare settings, delivery of PA promotion remains inconsistent. This cross-sectional survey, conducted across Scotland and supported by Public Health Scotland, explored the knowledge, attitudes, and training of healthcare professionals (HCPs) across primary and secondary care in relation to PA promotion. Quantitative data were analysed employing descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for categorical variables, and Kruskal-Wallis tests for Likert-scale data to explore differences by care setting and profession. A total of 409 HCPs responded, including a broad range of professions. Primary care professionals reported higher perceived knowledge in PA promotion and personal confidence in meeting PA guidelines than their secondary care colleagues. Physiotherapists and doctors reported the greatest perceived adequacy of training in, and subsequent confidence to deliver PA promotion, while nurses reported the lowest. Across all professions, most participants recognized PA as important for disease prevention (98.8%) and treatment (93.3%), but only 68% felt confident advising patients. The findings identify a disconnect between perceived value of PA and HCPs' preparedness to promote it and highlight the need for standardized, interdisciplinary PA education and the integration of consistent PA messaging across healthcare settings. Targeted educational resources and system-level initiatives could enhance practitioner competence and ensure cohesive delivery of PA promotion within Scottish healthcare.

Zirconia has undergone significant modifications to enhance its optical properties, with the percentage of yttria being a crucial determinant. Surface treatment techniques, such as air abrasion, primer application and resin cement application, play critical roles in achieving reliable zirconia restorations. This review explores the critical factors of transformation toughening and low-temperature degradation, interpreting their impact on zirconia's mechanical properties. It provides a brief explanation of the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing process for fabricating zirconia restorations and explores the classification of zirconia variations. Additionally, it briefly discusses essential clinical aspects, such as tooth preparation and cementation techniques, specific to zirconia restorations. The review highlights the importance of carefully selecting zirconia owing to the diverse types available in the market. Factors such as yttria concentration and tooth preparation significantly influence the outcome of zirconia restorations. A comprehensive understanding of these factors is essential for making informed decisions in restorative dentistry. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This review offers dental professionals comprehensive insights into zirconia as a restorative material.

Abstract The thermal behaviour of ligand-stabilised gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is an important consideration when using these materials to form gold films via sintering. AuNPs stabilised with butanethiol and hexadecanethiol ligands displayed quite different properties upon heating up to their sintering temperatures. Films of AuNPs bearing the longer chain stabilising ligand hexadecanethiol become liquids at 56 °C. This temperature corresponds to the melting point of dihexadecyl disulfide, a known product that forms when such AuNPs are heated. No liquid phase was observed for butanethiol-stabilised AuNPs at any temperature. Films of the hexadecanethiol-stabilised AuNPs had high resistances (> 100 MΩ) at room temperature and the short-chain butanethiol-stabilised AuNPs had resistances in the kΩ range. Small-angle X-ray scattering data showed that the butanethiol-stabilised AuNPs begin to coarsen at ~ 140 °C whilst the hexadecanethiol particles began to coarsen ~ 90 °C.

Objective Early biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy progression remain limited. This study aims to investigate whether plasma levels of VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and CXCL-12 can reflect the severity of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and to evaluate their potential as biomarkers for disease monitoring. Methods Patients were divided into normal albuminuria group (UmAlb < 30 mg/24 h, n = 30), microalbuminuria group (UmAlb 30–300 mg/24 h, n = 30) and macroalbuminuria group (UmAlb >300 mg/24 h, n = 30). Healthy individuals were included as control group (n = 30). Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D), and chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL-12) were measured. Results The plasma levels of VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and CXCL-12 were significantly increased in all type 2 diabetic kidney disease groups. Correlation analysis revealed that plasma VEGF-C, VEGF-D and CXCL-12 levels were positively correlated with plasma creatinine and urinary microalbumin. Furthermore, these levels were inversely correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. In order to distinguish DKD patients in the normal albuminuria group, microalbuminuria group, and macroalbuminuria group, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROCs) of VEGF-C was 0.668 (95%CI: 0.531–0.805), 0.790 (95%CI: 0.678–0.901), and 0.850 (95%CI: 0.756–0.944), respectively. For VEGF-D, the AUC-ROCs were 0.718 (95%CI: 0.587–0.848), 0.873 (95%CI: 0.783–0.963), and 0.931 (95%CI: 0.872–0.991), respectively. Finally, for CXCL-12, the AUC-ROCs were 0.687 (95%CI: 0.554–0.820), 0.816 (95%CI: 0.710–0.921), and 0.903 (95%CI: 0.829–0.977), respectively. Conclusion Plasma VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and CXCL-12 levels is of great value for early diagnosis and assessment of diabetic kidney disease severity. This suggests that these may serve as valuable surrogate markers for clinical outcomes in DKD.