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Prey face a major challenge in balancing predator avoidance with other essential activities. In environments with high risk, prey may exhibit neophobia (fear of novelty) due to the increased likelihood of novel stimuli being dangerous. The zebrafish, Danio rerio , is an established model organism for many scientific studies. Although spatial and object neophobia in zebrafish have received previous attention, little is known about the role of background risk in inducing neophobia in zebrafish. Here, we present two experiments using zebrafish to explore whether background predation risk can induce anxiety-like behaviour in a novel environment and neophobic responses when exposed to a novel odour. Over five days, we repeatedly exposed zebrafish to either high background risk in the form of chemical alarm cues (i.e., injured conspecific cues that indicate a predator attack) or a low-risk water control stimulus. In Experiment 1, when tested in a novel tank, zebrafish exposed to high predation risk displayed anxiety-like responses (reduced activity and increased bottom time spent) compared to their low-risk counterparts. Moreover, high-risk individuals showed reduced intra-session habituation to the novel tank compared to low-risk individuals. In Experiment 2, high-risk individuals exhibited fear responses toward a novel odour, unlike low-risk individuals. These results reveal that short-term repeated exposures to high risk can induce anxiety-like behaviour and predator odour neophobia in zebrafish.

The advancement of neuroscience depends on continued improvement in methods and models. Here, we present novel techniques for the use of awake functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) — an important step forward in minimally-invasive measurement of neural activity in a non-traditional animal model. Imaging neural responses in prairie voles, a species studied for its propensity to form strong and selective social bonds, is expected to greatly advance our mechanistic understanding of complex social and affective processes. The use of ultra-high-field fMRI allows for recording changes in region-specific activity throughout the entire brain simultaneously and with high temporal and spatial resolutions. By imaging neural responses in awake animals, with minimal invasiveness, we are able to avoid the confound of anesthesia, broaden the scope of possible stimuli, and potentially make use of repeated scans from the same animals. These methods are made possible by the development of an annotated and segmented 3D vole brain atlas and software for image analysis. The use of these methods in the prairie vole provides an opportunity to broaden neuroscientific investigation of behavior via a comparative approach, which highlights the ethological relevance of pro-social behaviors shared between voles and humans, such as communal breeding, selective social bonds, social buffering of stress, and caregiving behaviors. Results using these methods show that fMRI in the prairie vole is capable of yielding robust blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal changes in response to hypercapnic challenge (inhaled 5% CO2), region-specific physical challenge (unilateral whisker stimulation), and presentation of a set of novel odors. Complementary analyses of repeated restraint sessions in the imaging hardware suggest that voles do not require acclimation to this procedure. Taken together, awake vole fMRI represents a new arena of neurobiological study outside the realm of traditional rodent models. •Neural activation can be imaged in awake prairie voles without the use of anesthesia.•BOLD signal was assessed in 115 regions at 260μm2 in-plane resolution every 6s.•The stress of the procedure does not prevent meaningful inferences but should be considered.•Novel odor presentation in the magnet produced activation in predicted and unpredicted areas.

•Food neophobia exerts a negative influence on dietary habits and preferences.•We explored whether food neophobia and olfaction were related in adolescents.•Food neophobia was correlated with all included measures of olfactory perception.•Self-assessed sensitivity and odor awareness particularly contributed to food neophobia. Food neophobia is a rejection or avoidance of novel food products. Despite the adaptive importance of this behavior, it exerts a negative influence on dietary habits and preferences. Sensory sensitivity relates to food neophobia and among specific sensory modalities, olfaction seems to be an obvious candidate for a correlate of this behavior as odor perception largely affects food intake and enjoyment. However, research on olfactory perception and food neophobia is scarce, and despite some promising results, the full picture of their association still awaits discovery. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between food neophobia and olfaction in adolescents, a group that has not been included in the previous studies investigating this association. We tested the olfactory perception–food neophobia relationship in 510 adolescents 15 to 17 y of age using a food neophobia questionnaire, a psychophysical odor identification test, a self-assessment of odor sensitivity, an odor significance questionnaire, and through odor pleasantness assessments. We observed significant correlations between food neophobia and all included measures of olfactory perception. The overall regression model suggested that self-assessed sensitivity and odor awareness were the most influential, olfaction-related predictors of food neophobia in adolescents.

(1) Background: Microalgae are promising feedstock for obtaining valuable bioactive compounds. To facilitate the release of these important biomolecules from microalgae, effective cell disruption is usually necessary, where the use of ultrasound has achieved considerable popularity as an alternative to conventional methods. (2) Methods: This paper aims to evaluate the use of ultrasound technology in water medium as a green technology to recover high added-value compounds from Dunaliella salina and improve its sensory profile towards a high level of incorporation into novel food products. (3) Results: Among the variables, the solid concentration and extraction time have the most significant impact on the process. For the extraction of protein, or fat, the most influential factor is the extraction time. Total polyphenols are only significantly affected by the extraction time. The antioxidant capacity is strongly affected by the solid to liquid ratio and, to a small extent, by the extraction time. Ultrasound-assisted extraction improves the overall odor/aroma of D. salina with good acceptability by the panelists. (4) Conclusions: The application of ultrasonic-assisted extraction demonstrates a positive overall effect on enhancing the sensory profile, particularly the odor of microalgal biomass, while the bioactive properties are preserved. Notably, the intense sea/fish odors are reduced, while earthy and citrus notes become more prominent, resulting in an improved overall sensory profile score. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that this innovative, green, and efficient technology has been used to upgrade the aroma profile of microalgae.

Wine aroma is one of the most frequently used and explored quality indicators. Typically, its assessment involves estimating the volatile composition of wine or highly trained assessors conducting sensory analysis. However, current methodologies rely on slow, expensive and complicated analytical procedures. Additionally, sensory evaluation is inherently subjective in nature. Therefore, the aim of this work is to verify the feasibility of using FTIR spectroscopy as a fast and easy methodology for the early detection of some of the most common off-odors in wines. FTIR spectroscopy was combined with partial least squares (PLS) regression for the simultaneous measurement of isoamyl alcohol, isobutanol, 1-hexanol, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, decanoic acid, ethyl acetate, furfural and acetoin. The precision and accuracy of developed calibration models (R2P > 0.90, range error ratio > 12.1 and RPD > 3.1) proved the ability of the proposed methodology to quantify the aforementioned compounds.

Predation risk can affect offspring phenotype and fitness via maternal effects. However, most studies have mainly focused on the effect of maternal exposure to predation risk on offspring anti-predator traits, and evidence of its impact on social behavior is still weak. We explored this using social Brandt’s voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). To this end, we exposed pregnant female voles to one of three treatments: distilled water (DW), rabbit odor (RO, non-predator odor), or cat odor (CO, predator odor) for 60 min daily from gestation day 1–18 and compared the range of social behaviors of their offspring. The levels of anxiety-like behaviors and serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) were also measured. Our data showed that maternal CO exposure had no effect on sibling play behavior, but female adolescent offspring displayed increased contact with their siblings. During the social interaction test, adult male offspring of CO mothers engaged in less aggression toward unfamiliar same-sex individuals. Additionally, they exhibited slightly shorter latency and longer duration of mounting behavior with a novel opposite-sex individual than the offspring of DW mothers. Following 72 h of cohabitation, both male and female CO offspring exhibited selective aggression toward strangers related to their partners. In addition, the offspring of the CO mothers spent less time in the central area of the open-field and entered the light box less often. Finally, we observed higher serum ACTH and CORT levels in offspring. These findings suggest that maternal exposure to predator risk during pregnancy can influence the social behavior of Brandt’s voles in a sex- and behavior-specific manner. Anxiety and HPA axis activity may play modulatory roles in the expression of these social behaviors. Further studies should examine this transgenerational effect in the natural environment.SignificancePredation risk is an important environmental factor for animal populations and can trigger transgenerational responses, ultimately influencing the phenotype and fitness prospects of prey offspring. However, in social animals, the extent to which this non-genetic maternal effect influences the offspring’s social behavior is unclear. Brandt’s voles are typical social and grassland rodents. Owing to their complex social behavior, Brandt’s voles may respond to predation risk in a variety of ways. We found increased contact behavior in adolescent females, decreased aggression and increased sexual motivation in adult males, and stable pair bonds in paired voles in a behavior-specific manner. As social behavior is important for survival, reproduction, and population fluctuations, we believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature and provides a reference for monitoring the population dynamics of social rodents, especially Brandt’s voles.

Astodrimer Gel contains a novel dendrimer intended to treat and prevent bacterial vaginosis. We assessed the efficacy and safety of Astodrimer Gel for treatment of bacterial vaginosis. 132 women with bacterial vaginosis were randomized 1:1:1:1 to Astodrimer 0.5% (N = 34), 1% (N = 33), or 3% (N = 32) Gel or hydroxyethyl cellulose placebo gel (N = 33) at a dose of 5 g vaginally once daily for 7 days at 6 centers in the United States. The primary endpoint was clinical cure (no bacterial vaginosis vaginal discharge and no more than one of 1) vaginal pH ≥4.5; 2) ≥20% clue cells; or 3) positive whiff test) at study days 21-30. Secondary analyses included clinical cure at study days 9-12, patient-reported symptoms, acceptability and adverse events. The Astodrimer 1% Gel dose was superior to placebo for the primary and selected secondary efficacy measures in the modified intent-to-treat population. Clinical cure rates at day 9-12 were superior to placebo for the Astodrimer 3%, 1% and 0.5% Gel groups (62.5% [15/24; P = .002], 74.1% [20/27; P < .001], and 55.2% [16/29; P = .001], respectively, vs. 22.2% [6/27]). At day 21-30, clinical cure rates were 46.2% (12/26) for the 1% dose vs. 11.5% for placebo (3/26; P = .006). A greater proportion of patients reported absence of vaginal discharge and vaginal odor at day 9-12 and day 21-30 for Astodrimer Gel groups compared with placebo. Adverse events considered potentially treatment-related occurred in only 25% of Astodrimer Gel-treated patients vs. 22% of placebo patients. Astodrimer Gel once daily for 7 days was superior to placebo for treatment of bacterial vaginosis and was well-tolerated. The 1% dose consistently showed the strongest efficacy across endpoints. These results support a role for Astodrimer Gel, 1%, as an effective treatment for bacterial vaginosis.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), produced and emitted through the metabolism of cancer cells or the body’s immune system, are considered novel cancer biomarkers for diagnostic purposes. Of late, a large number of work has been done to find a relationship between VOCs’ signature of body and cancer. Cancer-related VOCs can be used to detect several types of cancers at the earlier stages which in turn provide a significantly higher chance of survival. Here we aim to provide an updated picture of cancer-related VOCs based on recent findings in this field focusing on cancer odor database.