Animals

Habitat fragmentation and human disturbance pose major challenges to bird movement and ecological connectivity, highlighting the need for effective ecological network construction in conservation planning. Although coastal ecological networks have received increasing attention, few studies have simultaneously examined seasonally explicit patterns, functional guild differences, and seasonally varying recreational disturbance. Using a coastal case study, we analyzed seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and guild-specific (wading birds, songbirds, raptors, and swimming birds) variations in bird ecological networks by integrating systematic field surveys (2023–2024) with citizen science records (2020–2025). Results indicated clear differences among guilds and seasons: swimming birds exhibited relatively complex and well-connected networks, whereas wading birds showed lower connectivity. Conservation priority areas varied markedly across seasons, being more extensive in spring (28.62%), autumn (23.69%), and winter (22.09%), but substantially reduced in summer (17.07%). Our findings provide a locally grounded reference for adaptive conservation planning in rapidly changing coastal landscapes, with particular attention to the protection and connectivity of coastal and estuarine wetlands for wading birds.

Traditional macrolide antimicrobials are inhibitors of cytochrome P4503A (CYP3A) in cattle liver. Monensin (MON), an ionophore with a narrow safety margin, undergoes CYP3A-dependent O-demethylation, and its incompatibility with macrolides is well recognized in livestock animals. This study evaluated the effects of newer macrolides—tilmicosin (TIL), tulathromycin (TUL), and gamithromycin (GAM)—on CYP3A-dependent metabolism in bovine liver microsomes and examined how these drugs influence MON hepatic metabolism. Molecular docking studies were also performed to predict their interactions with CYP3A enzymes. The CYP3A-dependent enzyme activity, testosterone 6β-hydroxylase, was inhibited in the presence of triacetyl-oleandomycin (used as a reference macrolide), as well as with MON. None of the other macrolides tested affected this enzymatic activity. All macrolides inhibited MON metabolism, but the extent of inhibition observed with triacetyl-oleandomycin was higher than that produced by TIL, TUL, and GAM. Molecular docking analyses indicated that triacetyl-oleandomycin and MON exhibited the highest binding affinities for the active site of CYP3A isozymes, compared with TIL, TUL, and GAM. The agreement between enzymatic data and in silico predictions indicates that TIL, TUL, and GAM are weaker inhibitors of CYP3A-mediated MON metabolism. The modest reduction in MON hepatic metabolism caused by these macrolides—commonly used in cattle feedlots—suggests a low likelihood of clinically relevant drug–drug interactions under typical dosing conditions.

Dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) are an established procedure to support military staff, but their implementation during active warfare has not yet been systematically studied. In addition, the welfare of therapy dogs participating in DAIs during war remains unexplored. Therapy dogs may develop clinically relevant emotional disorders, including trauma-related stress responses, analogous to human psychopathologies. The present study sought to monitor physiological arousal in therapy dogs performing DAI sessions with their handlers in two Ukrainian military hospitals (Vinnyzja and Kyiv). Biomarkers of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, including salivary, urinary, and hair cortisol concentrations, were assessed in Ukrainian (UA) therapy dogs to capture their acute and long-term stress responses. Additionally, cortisol levels in German (GE) therapy dogs performing similar DAIs under peaceful conditions were measured to compare cortisol levels between dogs from both regions. Results suggest that GE therapy dogs exhibited significantly higher urinary and hair cortisol levels and significantly lower salivary cortisol concentrations, reflecting alterations in longer-term glucocorticoid secretion that is possibly caused by war-related stimulation in the UA cohort. In contrast, no significant differences in salivary cortisol emerged as a consequence of performing DAIs. The present findings suggest that the environment rather than involvement in DAIs has an impact on therapy dogs’ cortisol secretion.