Open Research Europe

Computational bioacoustics has seen significant advances in recent decades. However, the rate of insights from automated analysis of bioacoustic audio lags behind our rate of collecting the data - due to key capacity constraints in data annotation and bioacoustic algorithm development. Gaps in analysis methodology persist: not because they are intractable, but because of resource limitations in the bioacoustics community. To bridge these gaps, we advocate the open science method of data challenges, structured as public contests. We conducted a bioacoustics data challenge named BioDCASE, within the format of an existing event (DCASE). In this work we report on the procedures needed to select and then conduct useful bioacoustics data challenges. We consider aspects of task design such as dataset curation, annotation, and evaluation metrics. We report the three tasks included in BioDCASE 2025 and the resulting progress made. Based on this we make recommendations for open community initiatives in computational bioacoustics.

Acoustic communication is tightly coupled to collective behaviour and social network structure in many animal societies. Yet continuous, identity-resolved recordings of multiple concurrent signalers are challenging. We evaluated a commercial acoustic camera for marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) vocal behavior across controlled bench tests and naturalistic family interactions. Spectral characterization showed the system is closest to neutral and most sensitive in 5-10 kHz, supporting reliable detection without correction in this range. Static localization accuracy was between 1-3 cm across the experimental enclosure. In simultaneous two-source tests, separation depended strongly on geometry and intensity level: very small spacing (20 cm) produced a single merged hotspot, frame-wise co-representation of multiple sources was infrequent and biased by sub-decibel level asymmetries. In natural 15-min family recordings (N=519 calls), the camera detected 96.5% of calls, among detected events, caller assignment was 97.6% correct (overall 94.2%). Ground-truth playback confirmed near-ceiling detection ([~]100%) and high assignment with two emitters ([~]98%), with reduced attribution in crowded four-emitter layouts. Together, these results indicate that acoustic imaging can deliver high detection and accurate caller attribution for typical marmoset vocalizations, with primary limitations arising from spatial crowding and small inter-source level differences. Importantly, this limitation can be mitigated in the native software by sequentially silencing suspected sound sources. The approach thus provides a practical and reliable path toward continuous, identity-resolved vocal monitoring in freely behaving primates.

Hospital-acquired infections are a known and growing problem worldwide. Far-UVC is a novel disinfection method that inactivates bacteria with limited penetration into human skin or eyes. A clustered, unmatched, randomized control trial (RCT) will be implemented in two Bolivian hospitals. The intervention arm will receive functioning Far-UVC lamps, whereas the control arm will receive identical lamps that do not emit UV light (shams). Based on baseline data, 40 lamp fixtures will be installed above hospital sinks, 10 per arm per hospital. Environmental samples (air and surface swabs) will be collected and analyzed via culture and sequencing. Simultaneously, air chemical monitoring data will be collected.

The use of domestic pigs in clinical training and biomedical research is expanding rapidly, increasing the need for reliable, noninvasive indicators of health and welfare. Vocal analysis offers a non-invasive promising tool, yet the acoustic repertoire of adult domestic pigs remains poorly defined. However, the vocalization repertoire of adult domestic pigs has yet to be characterized. This study characterizes the vocal repertoire of adult pigs housed in a biomedical research laboratory. Twelve mixed-breed pigs (2-3 months old; 5 males, 7 females) were recorded during routine husbandry and experimental procedures. Vocal classification was conducted using perceptual and objective clustering techniques. First, aural- visual (AV) inspection of spectrograms was used to construct a hierarchical repertoire. Second, a two-step cluster analysis based on six acoustic parameters (5% frequency, first quartile frequency, center frequency, 90% bandwidth, interquartile range bandwidth, and 90% duration) provided an objective classification. Agreement between methods was evaluated using Cramers V. A total of 1,136 vocalizations from 69 recordings were analyzed. AV classification revealed five major vocal classes-- grunt, squeal, complex, scream, and bark--subdividing into 16 distinct call types. Standardized definitions integrating descriptive and quantitative criteria are provided. The two-step cluster analysis identified two clusters as the optimal statistical solution, with moderate agreement between methods (Cramers V = 0.67, p < 0.0001). Most AV-defined call types aligned with previously reported repertoires, although whines, yelps, and stable screams were unique to this study. While two-cluster solutions are commonly reported, our findings indicate that richer acoustic structure exists and that high gradation among pig calls may limit the resolution of statistical clustering. These results establish a detailed acoustic framework for adult pig vocalizations and provide essential groundwork for developing predictive models to enhance welfare assessment and support comparative research in laboratory-housed pigs.

Introduction. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, creating critical challenges for social care settings where both staff and residents face heightened heat related vulnerability. This study examined the impact of heatwaves on UK care homes using a national survey of staff experiences, challenges, and adaptation strategies. Methods. Care home staff (N = 225) in managerial (N = 88) and caregiving roles (N = 137) completed an online survey investigating staff perceptions of heatwaves impact on thermal comfort, health and vulnerability of themselves and residents, alongside current heat resilience strategies and the barriers to their implementation. Results. Two thirds (66%) of the surveyed staff complained of being too hot three or more times per day resulting in a perceived impact on their ability to perform tasks (90%) and on residents' comfort and health (92%). Staff demonstrated strong awareness of older adults' heightened heat vulnerability (95%) and signs of heat illness (87%). Thematic analysis identified five key barriers to providing effective cooling: funding limitations, inadequate equipment, building constraints, staffing pressures, and individual resident needs; and four priority improvement areas: increased access to cooling equipment, improved temperature control, strengthened strategy and policy, and support for staff needs. Conclusions. Heatwaves place considerable strain on care homes, challenging staff capacity to maintain comfortable thermal conditions, despite good knowledge of heat risks. Financial, infrastructural, and staffing constraints limit effective heat resilience practices. Evaluating and implementing affordable, accessible, and context appropriate cooling strategies will be essential to protect both residents and staff as extreme heat events become more frequent.

ObjectivesThe fall of the Roman Empire (476 CE) profoundly affected the lives of its peoples due to the political, administrative, and territorial changes that occurred. The majority of written records of the time focus on the social elite, leaving larger parts of the population understudied. Here, we employ a bioarchaeological approach to understand how differences in lifestyle may be reflected in the oral microbiome of people from different social classes living before and after the fall. Material and MethodsWe analysed shotgun sequencing data from dental calculus, the preserved oral microbiome, of 67 individuals belonging to different social classes from two Classical cemeteries dated to I-III century CE (Lucus Feroniae and Isola Sacra) and one post-Classical cemetery dated to IV-VIII century CE (Selvicciola), all located in proximity to the city of Rome, Italy. ResultsWe detect significant differences in the oral microbiome taxonomic and functional composition across time periods and social classes, with the rural town of Lucus Feroniae standing out compared to its two counterparts. Reliable identification of dietary items was not possible. DiscussionThe distinct oral microbiome of Lucus Feroniae could reflect differences in general health and subsistence practices. The rural position of this community may have mitigated the cyclical food crises that, instead, affected the contemporary Isola Sacra and the later community of Selvicciola, thereby buffering against the nutritional stress observed in these two locations.

In humans, theta ({theta}) band activity (defined as 4-8 or 5-7 Hz), measured over the frontal midline of the scalp, is an important EEG correlate of voluntary and conscious self-control. Theta waves specifically reflect the workings of the frontal lobes, and can therefore be useful in distinguishing cortical from more ancient control mechanisms. In dogs, inhibitory self-control is extensively studied, but mostly through behavioural tests. Here, we present a first inquiry into a possible EEG correlate of cognitive control in the domestic dog, by comparing short ([~]30-second-long) EEG recordings from two conditions: passive wakefulness (baseline) versus a delayed gratification challenge (test). Both were recorded alternating, under similar conditions for each dog within the same session. In total, we collected and analysed 226 short recordings from fourteen dogs. Within and across animals, we found an increase in activity (test > baseline) that resembles human cognitive theta in frequency range (5-7 Hz) and scalp localization. Our results are a first demonstration that frontal midline theta in awake dogs can peak under similar conditions to those in humans. These findings indicate that compliant behaviour in dogs is under prefrontal control.

The vocal communication system of orcas (Orcinus orca) has so far been analyzed primarily in terms of the fundamental frequency (F0) modulations, i.e. the frequency of their phonic lips vibration. The calls have been divided into clicks, pulsed calls, whistles and types thereof. By analyzing 61 hours of on-orca acoustic recordings and controlling for the effect of high-frequency components (HFC) and F0, we report structured formant patterns in orca vocalizations including diphthongal trajectories. Broadband spectrogram analysis reveals previously unreported formant patterns that appear independent of F0 and HFC and are hypothesized to result from air sac resonances. This study builds on the recent report of formant structure in vowel- and diphthong-like calls in another cetacean, sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Using linguistic techniques, we further demonstrate that some calls are reminiscent of human consonant-vowel sequences, featuring bursts or abrupt decreases in amplitude. We also show that individual sparsely distributed clicks gradually transition into high frequency tonal calls, which aligns with analysis of sperm whale codas as vocalic pulses. The paper makes methodological contributions to the cetacean communication research by analyzing orca vocalizations with both narrowband and broadband spectrograms. The reported patterns are hypothesized to be actively controlled by whales and may carry communicative information. The spectral patterns shown in this study provide an added dimension to the orca communication system that merits further analysis and demonstrates convergent evolutions of similar phonological features in cetaceans (orca and sperm whale) and human communication systems.

IntroductionClimate change is expected to alter daily patterns of sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity, yet empirically grounded projections across the full 24-hour movement spectrum are lacking. This study estimated how projected future warming may alter 24-hour movement behaviour patterns in adults. MethodsA Monte Carlo simulation framework estimated temperature-dependent distributions of daily movement behaviour duration using data from 368 adults in the Annual Rhythms in Adults (ARIA) study in Adelaide, Australia. A total of 85,182 valid person-days were linked to daily temperature data to determine empirical temperature-behaviour relationships. The resulting distributions were used to simulate behaviour under five Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warming scenarios (+1.5{degrees}C to +4.4{degrees}C above pre-industrial levels) across a full calendar year relative to current-climate conditions (+0.99{degrees}C above pre-industrial levels). ResultsSimulations projected small but consistent behavioural shifts with warming. Annual median increased for MVPA (+49min to +4h 22min per person) and LPA (+3h to +13h 1min per person), while sleep declined (-5h 29min to -23h 19min per person). Physical activity gains were concentrated in cooler months, whereas sleep losses persisted year-round. Changes in sedentary behaviour were minimal and inconsistent. DiscussionRising temperatures may modestly increase year-long physical activity but reduce sleep duration, in a temperate-zone Mediterranean climate geography producing meaningful cumulative health implications. However, these might be confounded by the effect of other meteorological changes such as rainfall and humidity, which warrant further investigation.

Sleep plays a key role in both physical recovery and welfare. However, sleep patterns remain poorly documented in animals, particularly in athletic horses. This study aimed to provide a detailed description of sleep quantity and quality in training Thoroughbred racehorses and to investigate their relationships with age, abnormal behaviours, and cortisol. Thirteen Thoroughbreds (2-7 years old) were continuously monitored in their home environment over three consecutive days. An ethogram was used to quantify the two main phases of sleep: Non Rapid Eye Movement sleep (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM), as well as sleep interruptions (from day 1 at 12:00 a.m. to day 3 at 12:00 a.m.). Sleep Quality Indices (SQI), defined as the quantity of sleep divided by the number of sleep interruptions (SI), were calculated. Behavioural observations of four indicators of poor welfare (alertness, stereotypies, inactivity, aggressiveness towards humans) were performed using scan sampling, and salivary cortisol was measured each morning. Linear models were used to assess the links between sleep quantity and quality, age, mean cortisol, and abnormal behaviours. Sleep quantity was significantly associated with age: positively for total NREM sleep (ANOVA: {chi}{superscript 2} = 5.26, p < 0.05) and, negatively for total REM sleep (ANOVA: {chi}{superscript 2} = 4.46, p <0.05) and total recumbency duration (ANOVA: {chi}{superscript 2} = 5.68, p < 0.05), suggesting an age-related shift favouring NREM over REM. Morning cortisol concentrations and the frequency of abnormal behaviours were significantly higher in horses with lower sleep quality (cortisol: Total SQI, ANOVA: F = 5.26, p < 0.05; Combined SQI, ANOVA: F = 5.40, p < 0.05; abnormal behaviours: Total SQI, ANOVA: F = 4.07, p = 0.074), pointing to a potential link between stress or altered welfare and poorer sleep quality. These findings suggest that, whilst the type and duration of equine sleep may be mainly affected byage, sleep quality is associated with both cortisol levels and the expression of abnormal behaviours, indicating that poor sleep quality may be linked to poor welfare in this population of horses. Thus, sleep appears to be closely linked with racehorse welfare, highlighting the need for further investigation into how it is influenced by factors such as husbandry, training load, recovery, and performance.

Shared sleeping quarters are commonplace in contexts such as athletes at major sporting events, academic dormitories, and military barracks, yet mismatched sleep preferences can undermine rest and ultimately, human behaviour and performance. We introduce the Roommate Sleep Preference Questionnaire (ROOMPREF), a brief eight-question survey capturing preferences for noise, lighting, and temperature tolerances, snoring behaviour, and chronotype. Responses feed into a free, web-based clustering tool built in Python, which flags preference conflicts, and implements adaptive K-Means clustering within sex-chronotype subgroups. A post-cluster swapping algorithm further mitigates residual mismatches, enhancing the room-matching process. The resource includes distribution charts, group summaries, and optional automated room allocations, with downloadable CSV outputs. We demonstrate its application in a pilot cohort, highlighting its potential to improve sleep outcomes across various use-cases. This free resource has the potential to alleviate mismatched rooming partners, resulting in enhanced sleep and wellbeing outcomes.

Understanding how environmental stressors affect pollinator behavior is essential for assessing ecosystem health. Automated flower and robotic feeder systems (AFRFSs) have transformed how pollinator foraging and learning are studied. Still, most systems remain reward-centric, limiting their ability to probe aversive learning and nociception under field conditions. Here, we present FloBuzz, a modular AFRFS that couples automated reward delivery with computer-vision-based visit detection to trigger closed-loop electric-shock stimulation in free-flying honey bees. In our setup, FloBuzz consisted of a 3D-printed feeder with a shock grid, a syringe pump with fluid-level feedback, and an electric shock stimulus trigger module that applied user-defined shock patterns. In a proof-of-concept trial that alternated between shock-free, 6 V, and shock-free, 9 V intervals, bee visitation increased over time during shock-free periods but declined during shock periods, with a steeper decline at 9 V than at 6 V, demonstrating a voltage-dependent avoidance. By enabling programmable, time-resolved aversive stimulation at an artificial flower in outdoor conditions, FloBuzz expanded AFRFS capabilities beyond purely reward-based paradigms. Evidently, FloBuzzs modular design will permit the investigation of diverse behavioral paradigms, including studies of toxin exposure, cognitive plasticity, and reward processing.

BackgroundProlonged wakefulness, restricted sleep, and circadian factors can impact driving performance and road safety. Currently, there are no effective objective roadside tests to detect the state of drivers sleepiness during or prior to driving, or predict future driving impairment risk. This paper reports on an extended wakefulness protocol used to determine if a portable virtual reality device to administer vestibular-ocular motor function (VOM) tests can effectively detect 1) drivers state of sleepiness during or just prior to driving, and 2) predict trait sleepiness and future driving risk. MethodsFifty healthy adults with regular sleep within 9pm to 8am were recruited for an experimental laboratory procedure which involved two phases: an initial overnight sleep study, and a subsequent period of extended wakefulness lasting ~29 hours. During the wakefulness phase, participants undertook neurobehavioural testing, a simulated driving test, and repeat assessments of VOM to establish if ocular markers can predict sleepiness state and sleepiness-related performance impairments (Trial registry ACTRN12621001610820). DiscussionThis protocol outlined a study that aimed to establish the sensitivity of VOM test the effects of extended wakefulness and circadian phase on driver state and trait sleepiness and subsequent sleepiness-related driving impairment. Furthermore, the protocol aims to define the best VOM predictors to identify driver sleepiness state (road side testing and pre-drive assessments) and sleepiness trait (predicting future driving risk) to establish proof of concept for its potential application as a roadside, pre-drive and general sleepiness related fitness to drive test.

Military aviation training noise remains understudied despite its widespread impacts across urban, rural, and wilderness areas. The predominance of low-frequency noise and repetitive training can create pervasive noise pollution, yet past research often fails to capture the full range of health and quality-of-life effects. This study analyzed two complaint datasets related to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station noise: U.S. Navy records (2017-2020) and Quiet Skies Over San Juan County data (2021-2023). We analyzed and mapped sentiment intensity from noise complaints relative to modeled annual noise exposure, developed a typology to classify impacts, and modeled the environmental and operational factors influencing complaints. Findings revealed widespread negative sentiment and anger, often beyond the bounds of estimated noise contours, suggesting that annual cumulative noise models inadequately estimate community impacts. Complaints consistently highlighted sleep disturbance, hearing and health concerns, and compromised home environments due to shaking, vibration, and disruption of daily life. Residents also reported significant social, recreational, and work disruptions, along with feelings of fear, helplessness, and concern for children's well-being. The number of complaints were strongly associated with training schedules, with late-night sessions being the strongest predictor. A delayed response pattern suggests residents reach a frustration threshold before filing complaints. Overall, our findings demonstrate persistent negative sentiment and diverse impacts from military aviation noise. Results highlight the need for improved noise metrics, modeling and operational adjustments to mitigate the most disruptive effects.

We present a genome assembly from the coral species Porites harrisoni from the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf, the hottest ocean basin where corals live. The assembly is 626.7 Mb in size, spanning 1,883 contigs with a contig N50 of 807.4 kb, including a single-contig mitochondrial genome. The assembly has a BUSCO completeness of 86.3% (single = 72.5%, duplicated = 13.7%, fragmented = 1.2%, missing = 12.5%) using the eukaryota_odb10 reference set (n = 255). A total of 59.23% of the nuclear genome consists of repeats, comprising 15.89% retroelements, 10.00% DNA transposons, and 31.71% unclassified repeats. Gene annotation of this nuclear genome assembly identified 27,823 protein-coding genes. The mitogenome has an assembly size of 18,639 bp with 13 protein-coding genes as well as 2 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs. The genome of P. harrisoni provides a valuable genomic resource of a coral from an extreme environment, which will enable comparative analyses, enhancing our understanding of the genomic architecture underlying thermal resilience. Such comparisons will contribute to elucidating the evolutionary basis of heat tolerance and adaptive capacity of corals in the context of rapid climate change.

In mammals, loud, high-pitched, and harsh-sounding calls typically accompany heightened emotional arousal, particularly during distress such as separation. However, whether subtle arousal reductions can be detected through acoustic analysis within a single negative context remains unclear. We investigated whether source-related acoustic parameters of puppy whines reflect arousal modulations induced by calming interventions during maternal separation. Thirty-five eight-week-old Beagle puppies were recorded under four conditions combining synthetic appeasing pheromone and a pressure harness. Vocal behavior, activity, whine duration, and intensity, did not significantly differ across treatments, suggesting interventions did not suppress separation-related vocal responses. Nevertheless, calming products selectively altered acoustic parameters known to index arousal in dog vocalizations. Puppies receiving combined treatments produced whines with lower fundamental frequency (fo) and reduced fo variability, while pheromone exposure increased call tonality, reflected by reduced jitter and shimmer and elevated harmonics-to-noise ratios. Spectral entropy remained unchanged, possibly because the proportion of whines containing nonlinear phenomena did not vary across conditions. Reductions in fo, fo variability, and acoustic roughness are consistent with established correlates of lower arousal in mammals, suggesting source-related vocal parameters sensitively capture subtle arousal shifts even when overt vocal behavior remains stable, supporting their use as bioacoustic indicators for evaluating welfare interventions.

O_LIAccurate spatial localisation of free-flying echolocating bats is foundational for resolving fine-scale flight behaviour, prey interception, and spatial decision-making in natural environments. Acoustic localisation using microphone arrays is widely employed for this purpose, yet array geometries in field studies are typically chosen heuristically rather than systematically optimised. As portable multichannel ultrasonic recording systems become increasingly accessible, principled design guidelines are needed to ensure reliable localisation performance under practical deployment requirements. C_LIO_LII introduce an iterative array optimisation algorithm that designs microphone geometries by maximising localisation reliability within a predefined three-dimensional field of interest. The method evaluates candidate geometries using simulated acoustic emissions and time-difference-of-arrival localisation, quantifying performance as a volumetric pass rate: the proportion of source locations that meet a user-defined accuracy threshold. Microphone positions are iteratively perturbed and accepted based on improvements to this task-level metric, while enforcing practical constraints on array aperture, inter-sensor spacing, and deployability. C_LIO_LIAcross canonical polyhedral geometries, random initialisations, and arrays comprising four to twelve microphones, optimisation consistently produced rapid early gains followed by convergence to geometry-specific performance limits. Under fixed-aperture constraints, increasing the microphone count yielded diminishing returns, and optimised low-order arrays -- particularly four-microphone configurations -- matched or exceeded the volumetric localisation performance of higher-order arrays with suboptimal geometry. Analysis of optimisation trajectories further revealed that convergence dynamics scale with array order, whereas achievable volumetric performance is dominated by geometry rather than sensor number. C_LIO_LIThese results demonstrate that array geometry is the primary determinant of volumetric localisation reliability, and that efficient, portable arrays can be systematically designed using optimisation rather than heuristic rules. The proposed framework is broadly applicable to bioacoustic localisation problems beyond echolocating bats, including avian tracking, passive acoustic monitoring, and conservation-oriented sensing, and provides a general approach for designing task-optimised acoustic sensor arrays for a wide range of applications. C_LI

Compassion fatigue is a well-documented hazard among healthcare and veterinary professionals, yet the psychological toll on informal caregivers of feral cat colonies, likely numbering several tens of thousands in Portugal, remains largely unexplored. This cross-sectional study examines internal and external factors associated with the secondary traumatic stress component of compassion fatigue among 172 informal caregivers in Portugal. Secondary traumatic stress refers to work-related secondary exposure to individuals who have experienced extremely stressful or traumatic events. Structured telephone interviews assessed sociodemographics, colony management, compassion satisfaction, resilience, spiritual well-being, and perceived social support. Univariate and multivariable linear regression identified predictors of secondary traumatic stress. Results indicate that 47% of participants experienced moderate secondary traumatic stress, and 10% reported high levels. Multivariable analysis revealed that caring for large colonies (more than 25 cats) and being unemployed were significantly associated with higher fatigue. Conversely, older age, higher perceived family support, and the resilience dimension of serenity served as protective factors. Interestingly, finding meaning in life was positively correlated with fatigue, suggesting that caregivers who perceive their role as central to their life purpose may become more emotionally invested, increasing vulnerability to distress when unable to help animals. Official colony registration and formal institutional support did not significantly alleviate fatigue. These findings highlight that institutional support alone is insufficient to mitigate fatigue among informal caregivers, who experience significant distress driven by both practical burdens and profound emotional involvement. The most frequently reported concern among caregivers was the inability to cover the costs of feeding and veterinary care for the cats. Interventions must address both external needs (e.g., support to cover veterinary and feeding expenses for the cats) and internal coping mechanisms. Implementing psychosocial support alongside trap-neuter-return programs may also improve caregiver well-being and foster sustainable urban feral cat management. This underscores a One Health perspective, demonstrating that animal health is closely interconnected with human well-being and environmental health.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited hemoglobinopathy worldwide. Improving the quality of life of people with SCD requires prenatal and neonatal screening. Our primary objective was to demonstrate that prenatal diagnosis of SCD is possible even in situations of poverty. Secondarily, we described the socioeconomic profile of couples seeking molecular diagnosis of SCD in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kinshasa between January 2020 and December 2025. During this study period, 107 couples underwent prenatal diagnosis. Prenatal diagnosis was performed using amniocentesis with FTA Elute technology. This diagnosis was confirmed at birth using cord blood DNA extracted via the conventional salting-out technique. Results The mean age of the pregnant women was 28 {+/-} 4 years. Eighty-one couples (75.7%) were Christian, nine couples (8.4%) were Muslim, and seventeen couples (15.8%) were animist. Eighty-two couples (76.6%) were known heterozygous AS couples, eleven (10.2%) were heterozygous couples, and fourteen (13.0%) were couples composed of one homozygous SS and one heterozygous AS partner. All pregnancies were singleton. Socioeconomic status was upper middle class (39.2%). The AS genotype was found in 79% of the fetuses. One intrauterine fetal death was observed after amniocentesis. In terms of handling, the FTA Elute technology reduces DNA extraction time to 30 minutes. It is easy to use. Results are available in less than 24 hours. Conclusion The FTA Elute technology is a reliable, less expensive, and easy-to-use prenatal screening technique for sickle cell disease. Sample transport and storage conditions are better suited to resource-limited settings.

A fermented-food intervention trial conducted in Pakistan suggested beneficial changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in healthy women. Using a subset (n=17) of the same participants, this study further investigates the impact of fermented food (onion pickle) on gene expression levels using RNA transcriptomics, with a focus on host-microbiome interactions. After consuming pickles (50g/day) for eight weeks, blood and stool samples of participants were collected at baseline and post-intervention to assess inflammatory markers, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, clinical parameters, and RNA sequencing. Among inflammatory biomarkers, lipocalin (LCN-2) levels significantly decreased (pre=86.5{+/-}80.1ng/mL, post=61.0{+/-}59.0 ng/mL, p=0.04, paired T-test). Additionally, the intervention downregulated pathways (p<0.05) involved host responses to microbial stimuli, including response to bacterial origin, chemotaxis, and response to lipopolysaccharide. In gut microbiota, observed -diversity significantly increased post-intervention (p=0.02). Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) revealed differential expressions (LDA [&ge;] 2.0) of Olsenella and Coriobacteriales at week-8, where Olsenella sp. showed a significant negative correlation with LCN-2 (R=-0.36, p<0.05, Spearmans correlation). These findings suggest that fermented onion pickle consumption for eight weeks modestly alters gut microbial diversity and composition and is associated with reduced inflammatory markers and altered host immune-related gene expression, potentially improving intestinal health. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=81 SRC="FIGDIR/small/711246v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (27K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1be865eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@167b253org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ec763aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@45db55_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG