Search Results (1,167)

Accurate estimates of maintenance energy requirements are essential for precision feeding, yet breed-specific values remain scarce for Azawak cattle. This study quantified net energy for maintenance (NE_m), metabolizable energy for maintenance (ME_m), and the efficiency of metabolizable energy use for maintenance (k_m) in Azawak bulls. Nine bulls were evaluated in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin-square design and assigned to three graded metabolizable energy supply levels, designated low, intermediate, and high. The feeding levels were established by varying daily feed allowance while maintaining the same basal forage-based ration. Indirect calorimetry was performed using the GreenFeed system to quantify respiratory gas exchange, urinary nitrogen was determined, and heat production was calculated according to Brouwer’s equation. Increasing energy supply significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide and methane production, urinary nitrogen excretion, and heat production. The heat production (HP) and metabolisable energy intake (MEI) relationship was analysed using a linear mixed-effects model, with bull included as a random effect to account for repeated measurements. The resulting population-level relationship was ln(HP) = −1.1246 + 0.8985 × MEI. The estimated intercept was −1.1246 ± 0.0536 (95% CI: −1.2297 to −1.0195), whereas the MEI slope was 0.8985 ± 0.0850 (95% CI: 0.7320 to 1.0651; p < 0.001). Back-transformation of the intercept yielded an NE_m of 0.325 MJ/kg BW^0.75/day (95% CI: 0.292–0.361), whereas ME_m, estimated at the point where predicted heat production equalled metabolizable energy intake, was 0.517 MJ/kg BW^0.75/day (95% CI: 0.467–0.576). The corresponding k_m was 0.629 (95% CI: 0.566–0.688), indicating that 62.9% of metabolizable energy supplied at maintenance was converted into net energy. These results provide the first breed-specific maintenance energy coefficients for Azawak bulls and offer a robust basis for improving ration formulation, energy-use efficiency, and feeding precision in this important indigenous cattle breed. Full article

Diabetes disproportionately affects African American and Native American populations in the United States; however, diabetes disparities are frequently examined either collectively across minority populations or within individual groups, limiting understanding of the distinct mechanisms that drive inequities. This narrative review compares differences in diabetes diagnosis, culturally grounded management, diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), and diabetes-related complications among African American and Native American adults in the United States to identify both shared and population-specific pathways contributing to disparities. A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies addressing diabetes diagnosis, management, diabetes education, or complications among African American and Native American adults were included and synthesized using a comparative thematic approach. Disparities were evident across the continuum of diabetes care, but their underlying drivers differed substantially between populations. Among African Americans, diagnostic challenges reflected both structural inequities and limitations of commonly used glycemic markers such as hemoglobin A1c. Among Native Americans, delayed diagnosis was more closely associated with geographic isolation and under-resourced healthcare systems. Culturally grounded management also differed, with Native American communities demonstrating greater integration of Indigenous frameworks and traditional practices, whereas African American communities relied more heavily on family- and faith-based support systems. DSMES remained underutilized in both populations because of referral gaps, structural barriers, and limited cultural tailoring, with access barriers particularly pronounced in rural and tribal settings. Both populations experienced disproportionately high rates of diabetes-related complications, although Native Americans frequently exhibited earlier onset while African Americans often experienced greater severity of outcomes. Findings suggest that similar diabetes disparities emerge through different structural, cultural, and healthcare system pathways. Recognizing these differences can inform the development of more targeted clinical interventions, community-based programs, and health policies aimed at reducing diabetes inequities in underserved populations. Full article

In the post-pandemic era, identifying children who are most susceptible to severe illness and COVID-19-related mortality is essential for guiding public health policies. This study examined the risk factors for COVID-19-related severe illness and mortality from 2023 to mid-2025. We conducted a population-based cohort study using nationwide Brazilian data from patients aged <18 years with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between January 2023 and June 2025. The primary outcomes were COVID-19-related severity and death. Separate binary multivariable logistic regression models were developed for each of the outcomes. Among 465,689 children, 1.3% (n = 5963) developed severe illness, and 0.18% (n = 847) died. Factors associated with an increased risk of severe illness included age < 2 years, presence of comorbidities, Indigenous ethnicity, and lack of vaccination. Neurological disorders conferred the highest risk among the clinical conditions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 34.1; 95% CI: 27.9–41.8). Regional differences were also observed; the North and Northeast regions showed higher mortality (aOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.8–3.0) than the Central-West region. Compared with White ethnicity, non-White ethnicities had higher mortality: Indigenous (aOR = 23.5; 95% CI: 13.5–39.3), Black (aOR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.29–2.92), and Brown (aOR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.18–1.73) ethnicities. Lack of any vaccine dose was associated with a significantly increased risk of severe illness (aOR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.15–1.67. p < 0.001) and death (aOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.3–3.5; p < 0.001). In the post-pandemic era, younger age, comorbidities, sociodemographic disparities, and lack of vaccination were associated with an increased risk of severe illness and COVID-19-related death in the pediatric population. Full article

Morphometric information on ambling horses raised in Türkiye remains limited. This study aimed to characterize the morphometric traits of ambling horses according to breeding origin, age, and sex and to provide baseline phenotypic information on the studied population. A total of 102 naturally ambling horses were evaluated, including indigenous horses raised in Bursa (n = 28), indigenous horses raised in Nazilli, Aydın Province (n = 65), and Afghan-origin horses raised in Bursa (n = 9). Morphometric measurements of the head, body, and limbs were recorded, and the effects of breeding origin, age, and sex were analyzed using a general linear model. Significant differences among breeding origins were observed for several morphometric traits (p < 0.05). Afghan-origin horses generally exhibited higher values for several body measurements, particularly withers height, body length, chest depth, chest width, and heart girth, reflecting morphometric differences within the studied sample. Age- and sex-related differences were also observed for several morphometric traits. The strongest correlation was observed between CH and BH (r = 0.920, p < 0.001), followed by WH and BH (r = 0.873, p < 0.001) and WH and CH (r = 0.860, p < 0.001). ITH was also positively correlated with BH (r = 0.825), CH (r = 0.808), and WH (r = 0.744) (all p < 0.001). Overall, this study provides baseline morphometric information on ambling horses from different breeding origins raised in Türkiye and contributes to the phenotypic characterization of the studied population. However, because the Afghan-origin group included only nine horses and the distribution of animals among some groups was unbalanced, the observed differences should be interpreted with caution. Further studies involving larger and more balanced populations are needed to confirm these findings. Full article

Vietnam harbors exceptional genetic diversity among at least 26 indigenous pig breeds. We analyzed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from 90 animals representing 15 local Vietnamese breeds and six Landrace pigs using principal component analysis, the windowed fixation index (FST), cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH), within-population integrated haplotype score (iHS), and runs of homozygosity (ROHs). The population structure was consistent with a north–south differentiation axis, and Ba Xuyen showed elevated heterozygosity, providing suggestive evidence of a European genetic contribution; the f3 statistic was positive (f3 = +0.015), and formal evidence of admixture requires a significantly negative f3, so this criterion was not met. Integration of FST and XP-EHH identified GPC5, E2F6, NOS1, and TLR4 as top Northern candidate loci and CRYM/ZP2 as the leading Central candidate locus, and these windows were recovered at both the 90th and 95th percentile thresholds, indicating analytical robustness rather than independent biological validation. iHS was elevated at E2F6 in Northern breeds (|iHS| = 3.04) and at NOS1 across all regional groups (|iHS| = 2.66–3.36). Breed-level phenotypic XP-EHH, based on published breed descriptions and coat color rather than individual body-composition measurements, identified GALNT2 as a candidate shared across breed groups; HCAR1 and ATG10 as candidates specific to the extreme-fat/prolific breed group; and EFNA5 and HIPK2 as candidates specific to the medium-bodied breed group. ROHs identified Soc, Co, and Hung as breeds warranting particular attention in conservation planning due to elevated autozygosity. Because each breed was represented by only six individuals, and because no individual-level phenotypic measurements were available, all findings are reported as exploratory population-genomic signals requiring replication in larger cohorts. Overall, we describe genomic differentiation and candidate selection signatures among local Vietnamese pig breeds and provide a foundation for further genomic studies of these breeds. Full article

The Min pig, a Chinese indigenous breed, is valued for its excellent meat quality and stress tolerance. Nevertheless, its growth rate falls considerably short of commercial pig breeds, a pattern typical of most unselected indigenous populations, and marked individual variation further undermines its economic viability. To explore the genetic basis of this variation, we evaluated a series of nonlinear fixed-effects and mixed-effects models based on the Gompertz, Logistic, and von Bertalanffy functions using body weight records from 92 Min pigs. Model selection was based on AIC, BIC, and leave-one-out cross-validation. The best-fitting model was a Logistic nonlinear mixed-effects model with individual-level random effects on all three growth parameters (Asymptotic weight, timing parameter, and be parameter), which clearly outperformed models with simpler random-effect structures and fixed-effects models. From this model, we identified three characteristic growth transition points: the early transition point (Growth Rate Index, GRI) at 94.83 days (22.32 kg), the single inflection point (Maximum Growth Rate, MGR) at 166.06 days (52.80 kg), and the late transition point (Late Growth Rate Index, LGRI) at 237.29 days (83.29 kg), with a maximum absolute growth rate of 488.2 g/day. These points partitioned growth into initial acceleration, rapid growth, deceleration, and Asymptotic growth phases. Using individual fitted growth curves, we selected five fast-growing and five slow-growing pigs that reached approximately 90 kg during the plateau phase, defined as a predicted body weight of at least 95% of the individual Asymptotic weight. The fast-growing group reached 90 kg at 240.5 ± 20.42 days, whereas the slow-growing group reached the same weight at 286.67 ± 19.20 days. At the 90 kg slaughter weight, we collected longissimus dorsi muscle samples from these pigs during the plateau phase and performed RNA-seq. Transcriptome analysis revealed 864 differentially expressed genes between the two groups, with 540 upregulated and 324 downregulated in the fast-growing group. Pathway enrichment implicated the PI3K-Akt and TGF-β signaling pathways in muscle development, and differential expression of IGFN1, DCN, COL3A1, MYOC, COL1A2, COL1A1, and IGF2 may explain the growth variation between the groups. In summary, the Logistic mixed-effects model with individual-level random effects on all growth parameters effectively captures the growth pattern of Min pigs, and the PI3K-Akt and TGF-β pathways likely mediate growth differences in this breed. Full article

Indigenous populations internationally experience eating disorders (EDs) at similar or higher rates than colonizing majority populations. In Canada, emerging evidence suggests that this is also true among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) populations. However, most existing recommendations and best practices for ED prevention, early intervention, and treatment do not consider unique contextual and cultural factors that are relevant to FNMI Peoples, such as the effects of historical and ongoing colonialism. This scoping review aimed to map policy-related documents on the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of EDs among FNMI Peoples. We searched academic databases and targeted websites for ED policies, reports, toolkits, guidelines, and fact sheets. Targeted searches included the websites of Indigenous health authorities (e.g., National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health) and community websites, ED-specific organizations (e.g., National Eating Disorder Information Centre), and health professional associations (e.g., Canadian Psychological Association). We found only two relevant documents: one commentary serving as a call to action and one education resource for people experiencing EDs or disordered eating and their family members. Both documents were led by Indigenous authors with lived experience of EDs and were published by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre. In the absence of wider guidance on prevention, early intervention, and treatment among FNMI populations, health professionals may face challenges when providing effective and culturally responsive care. This review illustrates the infancy of the policy landscape related to the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of EDs for FNMI populations in Canada. Full article

Climate change increasingly endangers precious indigenous sheep germplasm resources distributed across diverse Chinese landscapes, and systematically decoding their polygenic climate-adaptive genetic mechanisms is essential for targeted breed conservation and long-term sustainable pastoral production. Whole-genome resequencing data from 93 individuals covering six representative local sheep breeds were analyzed in this work. After filtering highly collinear climate variables, three mature landscape genomic approaches were jointly applied to identify environment-linked gene variants, while two predictive metrics across ten CMIP6 future climate scenarios quantified each breed’s long-term adaptive risks. Six temperature- and water-related environmental factors jointly drove sheep population genetic differentiation, with temperature fluctuation indices showing markedly stronger explanatory power. Detected adaptive genes were significantly enriched in ion transport, energy metabolism and cellular stress response pathways. Future projections indicated western breeds (Bayinbuluke, Cele Black, Xiahe) face severe maladaptation risks under high-emission SSP370 scenarios by 2100, whereas central and eastern breeds possess much broader climate tolerance. This study systematically reveals the core genomic basis of ovine climate adaptation and quantifies distinct breed-specific climate vulnerability, providing solid reliable theoretical support for precision germplasm conservation and selective breeding of climate-resilient sheep varieties. Full article

Extreme heat causes more deaths in Australia than any other natural hazard, yet the consistency and inclusivity of heat-health messaging by Australian state and territory health departments have not been systematically assessed. This study compared heat-health communication across all Australian jurisdictions using official health department websites (n = 8) and corresponding Facebook pages, from which 374 posts were analysed. Website content was examined comparatively across jurisdictions, while Facebook messaging was analysed across two key periods: the 2019–2020 Black Summer and the 2024–2025 summer. Using comparative qualitative content analysis, we examined message content, inclusivity, geographic specificity, and communication approaches for vulnerable populations. Substantial variation was observed across jurisdictions and over time. During 2019–2020, messaging showed a predominantly reactive pattern in the context of concurrent hazards, particularly bushfires and COVID-19. By 2024–2025, communication showed a more anticipatory pattern, with some jurisdictions adopting clearer heat-specific terminology, visual warning symbols, regionally targeted communication, and multilingual resources. However, no jurisdiction provided Indigenous-language translations or culturally tailored messaging for remote Indigenous communities, and limited attention was given to indoor heat exposure, power outages, and remote populations. These findings highlight the need for more coordinated, equitable, and context-specific heat-health communication strategies to strengthen climate adaptation and public health preparedness in Australia. Full article

With only 15.4 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population covered by formal social protection, most people depend on indigenous social provisioning. Despite their extensive coverage and socio-cultural legitimacy, these arrangements remain marginal in policy design, largely due to their persistent framing as residual, informal coping mechanisms within state-centric paradigms. This paper challenges that framing by conceptualising indigenous social provisioning as an institutionally autonomous domain with transformative potential. Using an integrative literature review, the study analyses key provisioning arrangements across sub-Saharan Africa and maps their functions onto the framework of Transformative Social Policy (TSP), which emphasises production, protection, redistribution, reproduction, and social cohesion. The findings show that indigenous systems extend beyond safety net functions to enhancing productive capacities and supporting livelihoods, redistributing resources, sustaining social reproduction, and fostering social cohesion for collective agency. However, their transformative capacity is often limited by internal inequalities. The paper argues that inclusive social policy requires a shift from substitution to institutional complementarity, in which indigenous and formal systems operate as mutually reinforcing pillars. By foregrounding Africa’s institutional heritage, the study contributes to ongoing efforts to decolonise social policy theory and practice. Full article

Nepal is a small, landlocked country with marked elevational variation from the Terai plains to the Himalayas. Here, four indigenous goat populations (Chyangra, Sinhal, Khari, and Terai) are raised at different elevations. This study aimed to clarify the genetic structure of these populations and how they are formed and propagated across the Himalayan region. We analyzed 136 Nepalese goats using mitochondrial (mt) DNA D-loop and sex-determining region Y (SRY) 3′-untranslated region (UTR) sequences, as well as 50 K SNP array data. The mtDNA haplogroups D (0.162) and G (0.03) were detected only in Chyangra, whereas haplogroup B was predominant in Sinhal (0.42), followed by Khari (0.260). Regarding SRY haplotypes, Y2B was detected in all populations, whereas Y1AB (0.42) was found only in Chyangra. Genome-wide SNP analysis showed that Chyangra was genetically related to Tibetan and Central Asian goats, while Terai resembled South Asian goats. Interestingly, Sinhal formed a distinct cluster, whereas Khari exhibited an admixed genetic structure. These findings suggest that Nepalese goats originate from at least three ancestral lineages and that an additional migration route may have existed through the southern Himalayas. Full article

Growth and body conformation traits are key determinants of meat production efficiency and economic performance in sheep. However, the genetic architecture underlying these complex traits remains incompletely understood, particularly across multi-breed populations. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for seven growth and developmental traits in a combined population of 401 sheep, including Qira Black, Kyrgyz, Dorset × Hu crossbred, and Suffolk × Karakul crossbred sheep. After genotype harmonization and quality control, 47,674 autosomal SNPs were retained for analysis. Population structure was assessed using principal component analysis, and association testing was conducted using a mixed linear model incorporating breed, principal components, and a kinship matrix. A total of 44 independent loci were detected at a nominal significance threshold, encompassing 112 candidate genes. The strongest association was identified for cannon bone circumference near RPS6KA5 (Chr7; p = 1.40 × 10⁻⁷). Several biologically relevant genes involved in osteogenesis, cartilage development, and metabolic regulation were detected, including STEAP3, SLC26A2, PPARGC1B, COL11A1, CALN1, and CITED2. Two genomic regions exhibited pleiotropic effects, which were identified as being associated with multiple traits, suggesting shared genetic regulation of correlated skeletal characteristics. These findings are consistent with a polygenic architecture underlying growth trait in sheep and highlight candidate genomic regions potentially involved in skeletal development and body conformation. Although further validation is required, the identified loci provide preliminary evidence for regions that may influence growth-related phenotypes and offer a reference for future molecular breeding efforts in indigenous and crossbred sheep populations. Full article

In recent years, wild bee decline has emerged as a major conservation challenge driven by interacting ecological, health-related, and socio-environmental pressures. Although Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) have long documented bee ecology, environmental change, and sustainable stewardship practices, their contribution remains insufficiently integrated into contemporary conservation and veterinary frameworks. This review evaluates the current evidence on how IKS can contribute to wild bee conservation and examines how these knowledge systems can be integrated with ecological and veterinary approaches within a One Health and One Welfare perspective. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature published primarily between 2020 and 2026, together with selected foundational studies where necessary, we synthesised evidence from ecology, ethnobiology, conservation science, and veterinary population health. Particular attention was given to studies documenting Indigenous observations of bee health, habitat quality, landscape management, nutritional ecology, disease ecology, and conservation governance. The reviewed literature indicates that IKS provide long-term ecological observations and adaptive management practices that complement scientific monitoring by identifying early indicators of environmental degradation and colony stress. Indigenous-managed landscapes frequently support greater habitat heterogeneity and more stable floral resources, highlighting nutritional ecology as a key pathway linking land-use practices with immune competence, stress tolerance, and population resilience. Disease ecology emerged as a second critical dimension, demonstrating that pathogen spillover at the managed–wild bee interface is primarily shaped by management intensity, colony density, and landscape characteristics rather than species boundaries alone. Across these domains, IKS and veterinary population-health approaches converge in emphasizing prevention, early detection of cumulative stress, and ecosystem-based management. These findings support the integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge through collaborative governance and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)-based research partnerships. Recognising Indigenous-managed territories as valuable biocultural landscapes and extending health surveillance beyond managed Apis mellifera to include wild and stingless bees may strengthen evidence-based conservation strategies under integrated One Health and One Welfare frameworks. Full article

As an endemic woody plant resource widely distributed in the arid regions of northwestern China, Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis Rousi possesses both ecological and medicinal value. Elucidating the effects of climate and soil conditions on the composition, structure, and function of its root-associated bacterial communities is of practical significance for the development and utilization of these indigenous plant resources in this water-limited region. In this study, root samples of H. rhamnoides were collected from 12 sampling sites in the arid region of Northwest China. High-throughput amplicon sequencing was employed to examine bacterial composition, alpha and beta diversity, molecular co-occurrence networks, and PICRUSt-based functional prediction. Mantel tests and redundancy analysis (RDA) were further applied to identify what is associated with shaping bacterial community structure. The main results are summarized as follows: (1) There were significant differences in the number of ASVs among the various sampling sites, with the P8 site having the highest number (435) and the P5 site having the lowest (156). The dominant phyla in the community were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria. (2) Both α and β diversity showed significant differentiation among the 12 sampling sites. The Ace and Chao1 indices of P8 sampling sites were the highest, while P5 sampling sites were the lowest. In terms of community aggregation, P7 and P12 sampling sites showed tighter clustering, whereas P4 and P5 sampling sites showed more scattered bacterial assemblages. (3) Functional prediction suggested that metabolism, environmental information processing, and genetic information processing functional potential may all be dominant across 12 sampling sites. The abundance of environmental information predicted that the processing functional potential of the P9 sampling site was higher than that of the other 11 sampling sites, while the genetic information processing functional potential was low. (4) Cluster analysis grouped the 12 sampling sites into two groups: sampling sites P10, P11, and P12 were grouped into Group 1, while the remaining 9 sampling sites were grouped into Group 2. (5) RDA revealed that altitude was associated with shaping the root endophytic bacterial community structure of H. rhamnoides, followed by soil total nitrogen. Taken together, the H. rhamnoides populations investigated and sampled in this study were predominantly distributed in neutral-to-alkaline arid soils. The relevant environmental factors are significantly correlated with the alpha diversity patterns of root endophytic bacteria of this species, and they can modulate the community assembly processes, functional allocation characteristics, and co-occurrence network structures of these root endophytic bacteria. Full article

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite virus that requires the presence of a helper virus, the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Soon after its discovery by Mario Rizzetto in 1977, severe outbreaks of fulminant hepatitis D occurred in the past century, in indigenous populations from the Western and Southern (Amazon) regions of Venezuela, while the indigenous population from the Eastern region (Orinoco Delta) has been found to be free of this virus. Data on the prevalence of HDV infection in Venezuela are still highly imprecise. The aim of this study is to provide insights into the current situation of this disease in the country. Evidence of exposure and infection with HDV was found again mainly in indigenous populations, although also one patient with hepatitis B from the capital was found to be infected with HDV genotype 1. The genotype found in the indigenous Bari population was HDV genotype 1, the same lineage (a putative new subgenotype 1j) previously identified in this region in both Venezuela and Colombia. Although scarce information is still available about the burden of HDV infection in Venezuela, the few studies available are consistent in showing an epidemic concentrated mainly in some, but not all, indigenous populations. Reflex testing is needed to have a better appraisal of this disease in the country. Full article