Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by progressive biliary destruction and cholestasis. Current therapies, including ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), exhibit limited efficacy in advanced disease. In this study, we investigate the therapeutic potential of microbial intervention using Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lbr) in the Mcpip1fl/flAlbCre knockout mouse model of PBC, which we described previously. Knockout mice develop human PBC-like features such as bile acid dysregulation, autoantibodies, cholangiocyte hyperplasia and fibrosis. Six-week-old Mcpip1fl/fl (wild-type) and Mcpip1fl/flAlbCre (knockout) mice were treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus supplementation, UDCA (15mg/kg/day), UDCA + Lbr, and UDCA + OCA (obeticholic acid, 10mg/kg/day) for six weeks. Treatment response was characterized by liver and gut pathology, serum biomarkers, transcriptomic profiles, and microbiome composition. Treatment of Mcpip1fl/flAlbCre animals with Lbr decreased serum bile acids and reduced pathological cholangiocyte dysplasia in the liver, decreased leukocyte infiltration and fibrosis. RNAseq of liver tissue revealed enrichment of humoral immune responses and T cell activation pathways in knockouts, all of which were significantly attenuated by Lbr monotherapy. Gut pathology marked by increased intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration and mucosal hypertrophy, was also normalized upon Lbr administration. Finally, probiotic treatment modulated the microbiome by increasing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and enriching butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae. Administration of UDCA and UDCA+OCA had less pronounced effects: only decreased serum bile acids was detected in both groups. Probiotic intervention with Lbr represents a feasible strategy to attenuate fibrotic progression in a mouse model of autoimmune cholestatic disease by modulation of the gut-microbiome-immune crosstalk.

The rabies virus is responsible for one of the most severe diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Rabies is associated with an almost 100% case-fatality rate once clinical symptoms develop. The aim of this study is to present the principal routes of rabies virus transmission to humans and to discuss strategies for limiting viral spread through preventive measures, based on the available literature concerning the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and prophylactic methods applied in both animals and humans. The primary route of transmission to humans is a bite from an infected animal. However, other, less common routes of infection are also possible, including contact of secretions from an infected animal with mucous membranes or damaged skin. Extremely rare cases of transmission have also been reported through aerosol exposure or through organ transplantation from an infected donor. In Europe, wild animals constitute the main reservoir of the rabies virus, with particular emphasis on foxes, highlighting the critical role of oral vaccination programs targeting these species. Vaccination of domestic animals, as well as pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis in humans, also remain essential components of rabies prevention. A multidisciplinary approach to rabies control, integrating the efforts of veterinary and medical services through infection control in animal populations, improved access to vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin, and increased public awareness regarding the disease, its transmission routes, and preventive measures, may ultimately contribute to the complete elimination of human rabies in the future.

Exogenous shocks can affect equity markets by changing volatility and cross-market co-movement. This study examines how two U.S.-centred events, treated as different shock types, influence time-varying conditional correlations between the U.S. stock market and other G7 markets. The uncertainty shock is proxied by the U.S. presidential election of 5 November 2024, while the action shock is proxied by President Trump’s 2 April 2025 announcement of reciprocal tariffs. Using daily log returns for the S&P 500 and leading indices for Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, we cover January 2010 to July 2025 and assess event effects using correlation paths for June 2024–June 2025 and symmetric ±30-day windows. We employ a DCC-GARCH model to jointly estimate conditional variances and dynamic correlations for six USA-G7 pairs. The results indicate persistent correlation dynamics, with Canada/USA the highest and Japan/USA the lowest. Election-related uncertainty is associated with declines in correlation for European pairs, suggesting temporary decoupling, while Canada and Japan show only small changes. By contrast, the tariff action shock significantly increases conditional correlations across all country/USA pairs, implying stronger market synchronisation, with the largest increases in North America and parts of Europe, and the smallest adjustment in Japan.

IntroductionProventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a disease of parrots which has been known for many years, but only in 2008 was it confirmed that its cause is avian bornavirus (ABV). Further disease aetiology and epidemiology information came subsequently. Later research distinguished an eight-genotype group of parrot bornaviruses (PaBV) infecting psittacines. In addition to PaBV, circoviruses (beak and feather disease viruses – BFDV) and avian polyomaviruses (APyV) also represent major viral pathogens of parrots. These may occur concurrently. This study’s intent was to determine the occurrence of PaBV, BFDV and APyV in parrots in Poland between 2014 and 2024 and to compare it with extranational data.Material and MethodsSamples taken from 210 naturally deceased breeder-owned and pet parrots necropsied between 2014 and 2024 were studied. Tissue samples were analysed by RT-PCR (PaBV) and nested PCR (BFDV and APyV).ResultsParrot bornavirus RNA was detected in 50 parrots (23.8%), BFDV DNA in 59 (28%), and APyV DNA in 65 parrots (31%). A dilated proventriculus and gizzard – changes typical for PDD – were found in 22 (10.5%) cases and 18 were confirmed by a positive RT-PCR result. Thirty-two (15.2%) birds tested positive for PaBV despite the absence of obvious PDD lesions.ConclusionBornavirus infections in parrots in Poland occur relatively often, but less frequently than infections with polyomaviruses and circoviruses. Only 36% of the birds with confirmed bornavirus infections had changes typical for PDD observed in necropsy.

Electromyographic (EMG) signals encode complex spatiotemporal dynamics reflecting neuromuscular coordination and pharmacological modulation. This study introduces a unified Hankel–topological framework for reconstructing and analyzing long-duration EMG recordings acquired from pigs under pharmacological influence, and for quantifying their bioelectrical organization. The method couples low-rank Hankel representations—capturing temporal redundancy and smoothness—with topological continuity constraints that stabilize activity packets defined by 5 s silence intervals. Six pigs were recorded across four experimental sessions (24 h each; four channels), and envelope reconstruction was performed using an ADMM-based solver. Quantitative analysis revealed consistent post-drug reductions in the packet rate (−24.9%), the mean duration (−2.3 s), the amplitude (−0.16 a.u.), the effective Hankel rank (−3.0), and topological diversity (Δβ0=−1.2; all p<0.01). Deeper channels exhibited stronger suppression (interaction p<0.02), suggesting depth-dependent neuromuscular effects. The proposed framework unifies dynamical, statistical, and topological perspectives on EMG structure and yields interpretable biomarkers of neuromuscular inhibition and recovery. More broadly, it provides a generalizable signal processing methodology for analyzing structured, noisy physiological time series beyond EMG.

This study investigates the attitudes of Polish farmers toward nature-based innovations in agriculture, with particular focus on the use of biostimulants supporting the plant microbiome. The research was conducted among potato producers and examined their opinions on the benefits of such preparations in practice. The majority of respondents expressed a positive evaluation, highlighting improvements in plant condition, higher yields, and greater resilience to unfavorable weather, including drought, heavy rainfall, and other climate-related stresses. These findings are highly relevant in the context of climate change, which increasingly affects soil fertility and crop stability. The results indicate that biological preparations can effectively mitigate biotic and abiotic stress, thus contributing to more sustainable and efficient potato production systems. At the same time, the study emphasizes the importance of continuous research and knowledge transfer at both national and local levels for the further development of innovative agricultural methods. The research, however, was limited to a single group of producers and one production period, which suggests the need for future studies under different environmental and climatic conditions.