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This review highlights the available literature on the nutrition of six neo-tropical animals with the potential for domestication—the agouti (Dasyprocta leporina/D. aguti), lappe (Agouti paca), capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), manicou/opossum (Didelphis marsupialis insularis), collared peccary (Peccary tajucu) and the red brokcet deer (Mazama americana). Over 100 references were used, spanning over 100 years. The earliest being 1915 and the most recent being 2018. The references used in this review were synthesized to give a detailed look of the dentition, anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract and type of feed these animals consume. Nutritional requirements of the animals are required to understand what is needed for growth, maintenance and reproduction of each physiological stage. The agouti (D. leporina/D. aguti) was observed to be a monogastric mammal that fed primarily on fruits, seeds, animal matter and practiced caecotrophy. The lappe/paca (C. paca/A. paca) was described as a strict herbivore and a frugivore which practiced caecotrophy, with a diet that varied throughout the year, according to food availability. The capybara (H. hydrochaeris) was found to be the largest known rodent and was described as a semiaquatic hindgut fermenter that practiced caecotrophy. The manicou/opossum (D. marsupialis insularis) was found to be an omnivore with a simple stomach. The collared peccary (T. tajacu) was found to be frugivorous. Their unique stomach enabled them to consume a wide variety of feedstuff, allowing them to be found in a wide range of habitats. The red brocket deer (M. americana), a ruminant, was described as a browser that consumed mainly fruits and seeds and they frequented mineral lick. Knowledge of what they consume in the wild is important, so that we know what to feed in captivity. There is also the need to evaluate captive diets while trying to domesticate these mammals and develop nutrient requirement tables for these neo-tropical animals. Finally, an understanding of the dentition and gastrointestinal tract is important to increase efficiency (nutritional and cost). These six neo-tropical mammals were chosen due to their prevalence as game species in Trinidad and Tobago.

Aside from well-characterized immune-mediated ataxias with a clear trigger and/or association with specific neuronal antibodies, a large number of idiopathic ataxias are suspected to be immune mediated but remain undiagnosed due to lack of diagnostic biomarkers. Primary autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (PACA) is the term used to describe this later group. An International Task Force comprising experts in the field of immune ataxias was commissioned by the Society for Research on the Cerebellum and Ataxias (SRCA) in order to devise diagnostic criteria aiming to improve the diagnosis of PACA. The proposed diagnostic criteria for PACA are based on clinical (mode of onset, pattern of cerebellar involvement, presence of other autoimmune diseases), imaging findings (MRI and if available MR spectroscopy showing preferential, but not exclusive involvement of vermis) and laboratory investigations (CSF pleocytosis and/or CSF-restricted IgG oligoclonal bands) parameters. The aim is to enable clinicians to consider PACA when encountering a patient with progressive ataxia and no other diagnosis given that such consideration might have important therapeutic implications.

The evolution of sociality is related to many ecological factors that act on animals as selective forces, thus driving the formation of groups. Group size will depend on the payoffs of group living. The Social Complexity Hypothesis for Communication (SCHC) predicts that increases in group size will be related to increases in the complexity of the communication among individuals. This hypothesis, which was confirmed in some mammal societies, may be useful to trace sociality in the spotted paca (Cuniculus paca), a Neotropical caviomorph rodent reported as solitary. There are, however, sightings of groups in the wild, and farmers easily form groups of spotted paca in captivity. Thus, we aimed to describe the acoustic repertoire of captive spotted paca to test the SCHC and to obtain insights about the sociability of this species. Moreover, we aimed to verify the relationship between group size and acoustic repertoire size of caviomorph rodents, to better understand the evolution of sociality in this taxon. We predicted that spotted paca should display a complex acoustic repertoire, given their social behavior in captivity and group sightings in the wild. We also predicted that in caviomorph species the group size would increase with acoustic repertoire, supporting the SCHC. We performed a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) based on acoustic parameters of the vocalizations recorded. In addition, we applied an independent contrasts approach to investigate sociality in spotted paca following the social complexity hypothesis, independent of phylogeny. Our analysis showed that the spotted paca's acoustic repertoire contains seven vocal types and one mechanical signal. The broad acoustic repertoire of the spotted paca might have evolved given the species' ability to live in groups. The relationship between group size and the size of the acoustic repertoires of caviomorph species was confirmed, providing additional support for the SCHC in yet another group of diverse mammals-caviomorph rodents.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignancies. Unfortunately, the lack of effective methods of treatment and diagnosis has led to poor prognosis coupled with a very high mortality rate. So far, the pathogenesis and progression mechanisms of pancreatic cancer have been poorly characterized. Exosomes are small vesicles secreted by most cells, contain lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, and are involved in diverse functions such as intercellular communications, biological processes, and cell signaling. In pancreatic cancer, exosomes are enriched with multiple signaling molecules that mediate intercellular communication with control of immune suppression, mutual promotion between pancreas stellate cells and pancreatic cancer cells, and reprogramming of normal cells. In addition, exosomes can regulate the pancreatic cancer microenvironment and promote the growth and survival of pancreatic cancer. Exosomes can also build pre-metastatic micro-ecological niches and facilitate the targeting of pancreatic cancer. The ability of exosomes to load cargo and target allows them to be of great clinical value as a biomarker mediator for targeted drugs in pancreatic cancer. 3L5Znu-nRbNyvTa-VY8a8n Video Abstract

Anoikis, a distinct form of programmed cell death, is crucial for both organismal development and maintaining tissue equilibrium. Its role extends to the proliferation and progression of cancer cells. This study aimed to establish an anoikis-related prognostic model to predict the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. Gene expression data and patient clinical profiles were sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-PAAD: Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC-PACA: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma). Non-cancerous pancreatic tissue gene expression data were obtained from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. The R package was used to construct anoikis-related PC prognostic models, which were later validated with the ICGC-PACA database. Survival analyses demonstrated a poorer prognosis for patients in the high-risk group, consistent across both TCGA-PAAD and ICGC-PACA datasets. A nomogram was designed as a predictive tool to estimate patient mortality. The study also analyzed tumor mutations and immune infiltration across various risk groups, uncovering notable differences in tumor mutation patterns and immune landscapes between high- and low-risk groups. In conclusion, this research successfully developed a prognostic model centered on anoikis-related genes, offering a novel tool for predicting the clinical trajectory of PC patients.

Although nanotoxicology has become a large research field, assessment of cytotoxicity is often reduced to analysis of one cell line only. Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles is complex and should, preferentially, be evaluated in several cell lines with different methods and on multiple nanoparticle batches. Here we report the toxicity of poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles in 12 different cell lines after synthesizing and analyzing 19 different nanoparticle batches and report that large variations were obtained when using different cell lines or various toxicity assays. Surprisingly, we found that nanoparticles with intermediate degradation rates were less toxic than particles that were degraded faster or more slowly in a cell-free system. The toxicity did not vary significantly with either the three different combinations of polyethylene glycol surfactants or with particle size (range 100–200 nm). No acute pro- or anti-inflammatory activity on cells in whole blood was observed.

The advent of tissue clearing methods, in conjunction with novel high-resolution imaging techniques, has enabled the visualization of three-dimensional structures with unprecedented depth and detail. Although a variety of clearing protocols have been developed, little has been done to quantify their efficacies in a systematic, reproducible fashion. Here, we present two simple assays, Punching-Assisted Clarity Analysis (PACA)-Light and PACA-Glow, which use easily accessible spectroscopy and gel documentation systems to quantify the transparency of multiple cleared tissues simultaneously. We demonstrate the use of PACA-Light and PACA-Glow to compare twenty-eight tissue clearing protocols on rodent brains. We also show that regional differences exist in tissue transparency in the rodent brain, with cerebellar tissue consistently achieving lower clearing levels compared to the prefrontal or cerebral cortex across all protocols. This represents the largest comparative study of tissue clearing protocols to date, made possible by the high-throughput nature of our PACA platforms.

Wildlife subsistence hunting is a major source of protein for tropical rural populations and a prominent conservation issue. The intrinsic rate of natural increase. of populations is a key reproductive parameter in the most used assessments of hunting sustainability. However, researchers face severe difficulties in obtaining reproductive data in the wild, so these assessments often rely on classic reproductive rates calculated mostly from studies of captive animals conducted 30 years ago. The result is a flaw in almost 50% of studies, which hampers management decision making. We conducted a 15-year study in the Amazon in which we used reproductive data from the genitalia of 950 hunted female mammals. Genitalia were collected by local hunters. We examined tissue from these samples to estimate birthrates for wild populations of the 10 most hunted mammals. We compared our estimates with classic measures and considered the utility of the use of rmax in sustainability assessments. For woolly monkey (Lagothrix poeppigii) and tapir (Tapirus terrestris), wild birthrates were similar to those from captive populations, whereas birthrates for other ungulates and lowlandpaca (Cuniculus paca) were significantly lower than previous estimates. Conversely, for capuchin monkeys (Sapajus macrocephalus), agoutis (Dasyprocta sp.), and coatis (Nasua nasua), our calculated reproductive rates greatly exceeded often-used values. Researchers could keep applying classic measures compatible with our estimates, but for other species previous estimates of rmax may not be appropriate. We suggest that data from local studies be used to set hunting quotas. Our maximum rates of population growth in the wild correlated with body weight, which suggests that our method is consistent and reliable. Integration of this method into community-based wildlife management and the training of local hunters to record pregnancies in hunted animals could efficiently generate useful information of life histories of wild species and thus improve management of natural resources. La caza de subsistencia de fauna silvestre es una importante fuente de proteína para las poblaciones rurales tropicales y un tema prominente de conservación. La tasa intrínseca de incremento natural de las poblaciones es un parámetro reproductivo clave en las evaluaciones de la sustentabilidad de la caza más utilizadas. Sin embargo, los investigadores se enfrentan a dificultades graves para obtener datos reproductivos en vida libre, así que estas evaluaciones generalmente dependen de tasas clásicas de reproducción calculadas en su mayoría a partir de estudios de animales cautivos y realizadas hace 30 años. El resultado son errores en casi el 50 % de los estudios, lo que obstaculiza la toma de decisiones sobre el manejo. Realizamos un estudio de 15 años en el Amazonas en el cual se utilizaron datos reproductivos de los genitales de 950 hembras de mamíferos cazados. Los genitales fueron recolectados por los cazadores locales. Examinamos el tejido de estas muestras para estimar las tasas de gestación de las poblaciones silvestres de los diez mamíferos más cazados. Comparamos nuestros estimados con las medidas clásicas y consideramos la utilidad del uso de rmax en las evaluaciones de sustentabilidad. Para el mono lanudo (Lagothrix poeppigii) y el tapir (Tapirus terrestris) las tasas de gestación en vida libre fueron similares a las de poblaciones cautivas, mientras que las tasas de nacimiento de otros ungulados y de la paca de tierras bajas (Cuniculus fueron significativamente menores que los estimados previos. En el caso contrario, para los monos capuchinos (Sapajus macrocephalus), agutíes (Dasyprocta sp.) y coatíes (Nasua nasua), nuestras tasas reproductivas calculadas excedieron enormemente los valores frecuentemente utilizados. Los investigadores podrían seguir aplicando las medidas clásicas compatibles con nuestras estimaciones, pero para otras especies las estimaciones previas de rmax pueden no ser apropiadas. Sugerimos que sean utilizados datos de estudios locales para establecer cuotas de caza. Nuestras tasas máximas de crecimiento poblacional en vida libre estuvieron correlacionadas con el peso corporal, lo que sugiere que nuestro método es consistente y confiable. La integración de este método al manejo comunitario de la fauna silvestre y al entrenamiento de los cazadores locales para registrar las gestaciones de los animales cazados podría generar eficientemente información útil sobre la historia de vida de las especies silvestres y así mejorar el manejo de los recursos naturales.

Trichuriasis is the clinical disease of animals infected with the parasite of the genus Trichuris. This review attempts to present information on Trichuris spp. infestation in neo-tropical rodents that are utilized for meat consumption by humans. Neo-tropical rodents utilized for meat production can be divided into two categories: those that have been domesticated, which include the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), and those that are on the verge of domestication, such as the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), lappe (Cuniculus paca/Agouti paca), and agouti (Dasyprocta leporina). This document reviews the literature on the species of Trichuris that affects the rodents mentioned above, as well as the clinical signs observed. The literature obtained spans over sixty years, from 1951 to 2020. Trichuris spp. was found in these neo-tropical rodents mentioned. However, there is a dearth of information on the species of Trichuris that parasitize these animals. The capybara was the only rodent where some molecular techniques were used to identify a new species named T. cutillasae. In most cases, Trichuris spp. was found in combination with other endoparasites, and was found at a low prevalence in the lappe and guinea pig. The presence of Trichuris spp. ranged from 4.62–53.85% in the agouti, 4.21–10.00% in the lappe, 50% in the capybaras, and 1–31% in guinea pigs. Further work must be done towards molecular identification of various Trichuris spp. present in these rodents, as well as the clinical effect of infection on the performance of agouti, lappe, capybara, and guinea pigs.

Purple Collagen is a bioactive complex containing double-hydrolyzed collagens (types I, II, III, V and X) and various bioactive components (inulin, elderberry extract, magnesium citrate and malate, eggshell membrane, bromelain, black cumin extract and liposomal vitamin C). These bioactive compounds have attracted increasing scientific interest due to their ability to modulate key cancer-associated pathways, including the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration, suppression of oxidative stress via free radical scavenging and induction of apoptosis through mitochondrial and caspase-dependent mechanisms. While individual components of the Purple Collagen complex (PCC) have been associated with various health benefits, their combined effects on cancer cell behavior remain largely unexplored. The present study investigated the effects of PCC on cell proliferation, migration, oxidative stress and apoptosis in two cancer cell lines: HCT116 (colorectal carcinoma) and MIA PaCa-2 (pancreas carcinoma). The cell viability, migration, oxidative stress [total oxidant status (TOS)/total antioxidant status (TAS)] and apoptotic and cell cycle regulatory markers (BAX, BCL2, TP53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1) were analyzed following treatment with 1 [micro]g/ml PCC. Experiments were performed in vitro, and statistical significance was assessed. Cell counts for viability and proliferation analyses were obtained with a Thoma hemocytometer after trypan blue staining. PCC treatment significantly reduced cell proliferation in HCT116 and MIA PaCa-2 cells (P=0.0141 and P=0.0004, respectively). Migration assays demonstrated significant reductions at intermediate time points in both cell lines, HCT116 (P=0.0091) and MIA PaCa-2 cells (P=0.01). TOS and TAS levels revealed a cell-type-specific response, with a marked TAS decrease in HCT116 (P=0.0095). PCC caused an apoptotic and cell cycle regulatory effect, affecting BCL2 and p21 expression levels significantly in both cell lines (P<0.05). PCC exhibits notable cell-type-specific effects, inhibiting proliferation and migration in colon and pancreas carcinoma cells while modulating oxidative stress and apoptosis. The findings highlight the potential of bioactive compounds as selective modulators of cancer cell behavior. Further in vivo studies are required to evaluate these effects and their clinical relevance. Key words: Purple Collagen, hydrolyzed collagen, HCT116 colon carcinoma, MIA PACA-2 pancreas carcinoma