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World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 1.5 billion people are infected by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) worldwide in sub-Saharan Africa, the United States of America, China, and East Asia. Heavy infections and polyparasitism are associated with higher morbidity rates, and the patients are exposed to increased vulnerability to other diseases. Therefore, accurate diagnosis followed by mass treatment for morbidity control is necessary.STH diagnosis commonly involves the microscopic observation of the presence of the STH eggs and larvae in the faecal samples. Furthermore, molecular approaches are increasingly utilised in monitoring and surveillance as they show higher sensitivity. Their capability to differentiate hookworm species is an advantage over the Kato-Katz technique. This review discusses the advantages and limitations of microscopy and various molecular tools used for STH detection.

Background Data on the epidemiology and molecular characterization of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in Egypt are limited. This study aimed to estimate FIV prevalence in 240 Egyptian cats during 2022–2024 using three diagnostic techniques: two point-of-care antibody detection kits (Anigen ® and SNAP ® ) and one end-point PCR targeting the env gene. FIV infection is defined as positivity in at least two of the three diagnostic methods or PCR alone confirmed by sequencing, Additionally, FIV-associated clinicopathological abnormalities were assessed, and, for the first time in Egypt, circulating FIV subtypes were identified through partial sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of all env gene-positive samples ( n  = 10), along with 4 additional gag gene-positive samples. Results Using our diagnostic criteria, 76 of 240 cats (31.7%) were identified as FIV-infected. Of these 76 cases, 75 were positive on both rapid kits, yielding a sensitivity of 98.7% for sequential testing with Anigen ® and SNAP ® , whereas only 10 were positive on PCR and sequencing (13.2% sensitivity). FIV-infected cats exhibited lymphopenia, thrombocytosis, hyperglobulinemia, and reduced albumin/globulin ratios. On env and gag gene-based phylogenetic analyses, Egyptian strains did not cluster with any known FIV subtype (A-F and U-NZ env ) but formed a distinct, previously uncharacterized clade. The Egyptian env sequences displayed low intra-group diversity (2.8–3.7%) but high divergence from all known subtypes (21–25%), with no evidence of recombination observed. Moreover, these env sequences were derived from both shelter-housed and client-owned cats across three Egyptian governorates within a one-year period. Conclusion Given their genetic distinctiveness and widespread detection, we propose a novel FIV subtype, tentatively designated “X-EGY.” Its dominance and limited variability among its strains suggest it represents an ancient lineage uniquely adapted to Egyptian cats, rather than a recently emerged variant. This subtype may partly contribute to Egypt’s notably high FIV prevalence. Serological testing, utilizing two point-of-care kits in screening and confirmation steps, is the most accurate FIV diagnostic approach, outperforming molecular testing, particularly in regions where genetic data on circulating strains are scarce. Overall, the findings enhance our understanding of FIV epidemiology and diagnostic strategies and offer new insights into viral diversity and evolution.

In the Kinabatangan floodplain, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, oil palm and settlements have reduced and fragmented lowland tropical forests, home to around 200 endangered Bornean elephants ( Elephas maximus borneensis ). In this region, elephants range within forests, oil palm and community areas. The degree to which elephants are using these areas remains unclear. We used GPS telemetry data from 2010 to 2020 for 14 collared elephants to map their entire known ranges and highly used areas (hot spots) across four land use categories and estimate time spent within these. The use of land use types across elephants varied significantly. Typically, females had strong fidelity to forests, yet many of these forests are threatened with conversion. For the three males, and several females, they heavily used oil palm estates, and this may be due to decreased landscape permeability or foraging opportunities. At the pooled level, the entire range and hot spot extents, constituted 37% and 34% for protected areas, respectively, 8% and 11% for unprotected forests, 53% and 51% for oil palm estates, and 2% for community areas. Protecting all forested habitats and effectively managing areas outside of protected areas is necessary for the long-term survival of this population.

The self-healing of bio-concrete cracks and pores have been utilised worldwide to improve the properties of bio-concrete using different types of bacteria. Meanwhile, no published research was conducted to heal bio-foamed concrete bricks (B-FCB) pores using Bacillus tequilensis. Previous studies focused on the concentration of bacteria and neglect other factors that could affect the healing process. This research aimed to optimise the healing ratio of B-FCB pores using four factors: B. tequilensis concentration, concrete density, temperature and CO 2 concentration. Initial water absorption (IWA) and water absorption (WA) were used as responses in statistical methods, namely, factorial and response surface methodology (RSM). B. tequilensis species was isolated from cement kiln dust, produced in a powder form, then subjected to simulate test using a special medium consisting of foamed concrete materials to check the survival ability in B-FCB. SEM, EDX, and XRD were used to investigate the healing process of B-FCB pores. The results revealed that the decrement ratios of IWA and WA of B-FCB were 52.8% and 29.1% compared to FCB, respectively. SEM results reflect the healing that occurred in B-FCB pores, mostly healed via precipitation of CaCO 3 as demonstrated on the XRD results.

Timely diagnosis is essential for managing feline panleukopenia (FPL), a devastating disease of cats caused by feline parvovirus (FPV) or canine parvovirus variants (CPV-2a, -2b, -2c). To support swift clinical decisions, point-of-care (PoC) antigen kits offer frontline tools. Given their cost and availability advantages, CPV-specific kits are often used off-label in cats; however, their interchangeability with manufacturer-matched FPV-specific kits remains unverified. This study assessed the diagnostic agreement between paired canine- and feline-specific PoC parvovirus antigen tests from two manufacturers. Fifty cats (30 with acute gastroenteritis, 20 healthy) were tested using all test formats. All cats underwent PCR and sequencing for parvovirus typing. Tests from the same manufacturer showed near-perfect or perfect agreement for result interpretation (Cohen's κ: 0.919 and 1.000). This strong inter-kit concordance also extended to test line intensity (  = 0.908 and 1.000). Antigen-positive results were limited to diseased cats, mirroring the distribution of PCR positives. The latter included all the 30 cases, and were typed by sequencing as follows: 28 FPV, 1 CPV-2a, and 1 CPV-2c. All kit types detected FPV and CPV variants, and agreement within each manufacturer's paired kits was consistent across detected viral types. This preliminary evidence suggests that for two manufacturers, CPV antigen tests were non-inferior to their FPV counterparts, supporting flexible, cost-effective FPL diagnosis in cats, regardless of implicated parvovirus types.

While comparatively few amphibian species have been described on the North East Asian mainland in the last decades, several species have been the subject of taxonomical debates in relation to the Yellow sea. Here, we sampled Dryophytes sp. treefrogs from the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China to clarify the status of this clade around the Yellow sea and determine the impact of sea level change on treefrogs' phylogenetic relationships. Based on genetics, call properties, adult morphology, tadpole morphology and niche modelling, we determined the segregated status species of D. suweonensis and D. immaculatus. We then proceeded to describe a new treefrog species, D. flaviventris sp. nov., from the central lowlands of the Republic of Korea. The new species is geographically segregated from D. suweonensis by the Chilgap mountain range and known to occur only in the area of Buyeo, Nonsan and Iksan in the Republic of Korea. While the Yellow sea is the principal element to the current isolation of the three clades, the paleorivers of the Yellow sea basin are likely to have been the major factor for the divergences within this clade. We recommend conducting rapid conservation assessments as these species are present on very narrow and declining ranges.

BackgroundAlthough neutrophils and lymphocytes play well-established roles in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), their count is most often ignored by clinicians. However, the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) seems to be of great value in the evaluation of disease activity.ObjectivesOur objective is to determine the interest of this ratio and to study its relationship with the other parameters of RA activity.MethodsCross-sectional study of 70 patients followed for RA. We performed a biological check-up including a complete blood count (CBC), an ESR and CRP level. A NLR was calculated for each patient.ResultsThere were 58 women (82.9%) and 12 men (17.1%) with a mean age of 54.7 ± 13.6 years [19-82]. The mean duration of the disease was 10.1± 9.9 years. Sixteen patients (22.8%) had recent RA (<2 years). The mean DAS 28 ESR was 5.38± 1.48. Thirty-nine patients (55.7%) had high disease activity. The average of ESR and CRP were 59 mmH1± 35 [12-150] and 30.3 mg/l ± 28.6 [0-159], respectively. Anemia of inflammation was observed in 43.3% of cases. Lymphopenia was found in 28.6% of cases, neutropenia in 1.4% and neutrophilic polynucleosis in 17% of cases. The mean of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was 3.62±2.68 [0.48-13.26]. It was 3.7 in patients with severe activity and 3.5 in those with low to moderate activity. Statistical analysis found a significant association between this ratio (NLR) and anemia (p=0.003), ESR (p=0.005), CRP (p=0.038) and disease activity assessed by DAS 28 ESR (p=0.04).ConclusionDespite the fact that in RA there are few studies evaluating the interest of the NLR, our study concludes that this ratio is considered as an alternative inflammatory biomarker that could be used to assess the disease activity.References[1] Lijuan W et al. Neutrophil-lymphocyte, platelet-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios may not be useful markers to assess disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A STROBE-compliant article. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Nov;100(45):e27631.[2] Uslu AU et al. Two new inflammatory markers associated with Disease Activity Score-28 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio. Int J Rheum Dis. 2015 Sep;18(7):731–5.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.

In this work, a combined chemical and mechanical method was used for the production of graphene instead of chemical method only. The use of mechanical sonication was to assists exfoliation graphene oxide (GO) besides the used of chemical reagents. Then, the reduction of GO into graphene was carried out using L-ascorbic acid. The effects sonication cause synthesis of GO undergoes peeling graphitic layer and at the same time expose the layer with oxidizing agent. The properties of GO and reduced-graphene oxide (rGO) using various routes were investigated using XRD and FTIR. The main characteristics peak was observed at 7°and 9° for GO prepared using sonication and without sonication, respectively. The decreased of 2-theta degree of GO prepared using sonication indicates that the d-value becomes bigger. Estimation of average diameter rGO (with sonication) was 24.49 nm while rGO (without sonication) was 126.2 nm. The reduction of both GO was then carried out using an environmentally reducing agent, ascorbic acid. It was found that the L-ascorbic acid was effective in removing oxygenated functional groups. The conductivity values obtained for rGO-s was 7640 S/m while rGO-ws was is 678 S/m.

Low flow frequency analysis is an important technique for calculating the probability of river flow availability during crucial low flow seasons, such as drought. It is also useful to predict the low flow information of a river in volume and frequency for future planning and construction of water resource projects since the low flow has a significant impact on water quality, water supply, and river sustainability conditions. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the low flow frequency analysis of the Jempol River streamflow station using Weibull and Gringorten plotting position formulas. The average recurrence interval (ARI) of 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year were determined based on 18 years of historical streamflow data. The study illustrates the annual minimum flow magnitude of 1-, 4-, 7-, and 30-day durations for the study area. It shows that the Gringorten formula tends to give higher estimation values up to 18% compared to the Weibull formula when the flow duration increase. Therefore, the outcome of this study could be used in the future for any project related to the low flow information of Jempol River.

A fibrous surface ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) was synthesized for thorium removal through direct electron beam radiation using thorium as a template. Polypropylene coated by polyethylene non-woven fabrics (PE/PP) was used as a substrate. The PE/PP non-woven fabrics were irradiated in the presence of the phosphoric monomer (2-HMPA) composed of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylic phosphoric acid diester (50%) and monoester (50%) emulsified with the crosslinker. Hence, the formation of the three-dimensional IIP-Th crosslinked network and complexation between thorium (template) and 2-HMPA was investigated. The emulsion stability and particle size distribution of emulsion were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS). Various factors influencing the synthesis of the thorium ion-imprinted (Th-IIP) non-woven PE/PP such as the absorbed radiation dose, monomer concentration, and type of crosslinker were investigated. The IIP-Th was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and applied as an adsorbent for the removal of thorium using the batch adsorption method. The IIP-Th achieved a maximum distribution coefficient of 3.293 g/L and selectivity ratio (Th(IV)/U(VI)) of 9.5 after 90 min of contact time under acidic conditions. The adsorption kinetics of IIP-Th followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model for both Th(IV) adsorption and U(VI) adsorption. The synthesized fibrous surface ion-imprinted polymer is a promising candidate for the selective removal of thorium ions from aqueous solution.