Article
Zoology
Grete Nummert, Karmel Ritson, Kristel Nemvalts
Summary: Every year, more and more discoveries of photoluminescence in different mammal species are made. The recent cases include duck-billed platypus, New World squirrels, and springhare. Now, the garden dormouse, an endemic rodent to Europe, has also been found to exhibit this phenomenon. The fluorescence was observed in museum specimens, deceased and hibernating animals, and it has been observed to fade and change over time.
Article
Zoology
Yue Ren, Shiyi Song, Xinyu Liu, Ming Yang
Summary: Seasonal hibernation in female Daurian ground squirrels leads to changes in behavior, morphology, and metabolism, with high food intake, fat deposition, and body mass increases during fattening compared to hibernation. The levels of serum glucose and triglycerides were higher during fattening, and adiponectin levels were different between fattening and hibernation, suggesting a role in preventing heterotopic fat accumulation and facilitating metabolic switch.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Eisho Kanemitsu, Xiangdong Zhao, Keiko Iwaisako, Asuka Inoue, Akihide Takeuchi, Shintaro Yagi, Hidetoshi Masumoto, Hiroaki Ohara, Motoyasu Hosokawa, Tomonari Awaya, Junken Aoki, Etsuro Hatano, Shinji Uemoto, Masatoshi Hagiwara
Summary: Cold storage is commonly used for organ preservation in transplantation. However, prolonged cold storage negatively affects graft function and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that blocking the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signal reduces cold storage damage. We evaluated cold injury using an in vitro model and investigated the relationship between cold injury and S1P signal. Our findings suggest that S1PR3 antagonist reduces cold injury, extends cold preservation time, and improves graft viability, indicating potential clinical applications for organ preservation strategies via S1P signaling in transplantation.
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Leonardo Gubert, Fiona Mathews, Robbie McDonald, Robert J. Wilson, Ruud P. B. Foppen, Pim Lemmers, Maurice La Haye, Jonathan Bennie
Summary: This study aims to identify environmental characteristics surrounding hazel dormouse hibernacula using high-resolution remote sensing and data collected in situ. The findings indicate that remotely sensed data were effective in identifying attributes surrounding the locations of dormouse hibernacula. The study suggests that remotely sensed topographic slope, canopy height, and sky view influence the selection of suitable hibernation locations for hazel dormice.
Article
Zoology
L. Gubert, R. A. McDonald, R. J. Wilson, P. Chanin, J. J. Bennie, F. Mathews
Summary: The study revealed that hazel dormice use local materials for constructing hibernation nests, but also travel further to collect less commonly used materials. The structures of hibernation nests are similar to summer nests, and there is a positive correlation between material abundance and usage.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Niiranen, Kari A. Makela, Shivaprakash J. Mutt, Riikka Viitanen, Anna Kaisanlahti, David Vicente, Tommi Noponen, Anu Autio, Anne Roivainen, Pirjo Nuutila, Seppo Saarela, Karl-Heinz Herzig
Summary: The raccoon dog does not seem to induce brown adipose tissue or recruit beige adipocytes for thermogenesis during the winter, as evidenced by PET/CT imaging and lack of change in UCP1 expression in response to chronic treatments. Instead, it relies on its thick fur coat, insulating fat, and muscle shivering to provide the necessary heat for survival.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena Haugg, Janus Borner, Gabrielle Stalder, Anna Kuebber-Heiss, Sylvain Giroud, Annika Herwig
Summary: This study investigates gene expression within the hypothalamus of hibernating garden dormice and provides valuable information on the differential gene expression involved in torpor. The results suggest that there are specific gene pathways related to hemostasis, extracellular matrix organization, and small molecule signaling that play a role in torpor. The study also found species-specific and overarching torpor mechanisms that may be explored in future comparisons of different species.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Ji Young Choi, Seung Soo Lee, Na Young Kim, Hyo Jung Park, Yu Sub Sung, Yedaun Lee, Jee Seok Yoon, Heung-Il Suk
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of hepatic steatosis (HS) on liver volume and develop a formula to estimate lean liver volume after correcting for the effect of HS. The results showed that HS was positively associated with liver volume and a formula was proposed to estimate PDFF-adjusted lean liver volume, which can be used to account for the effect of HS on liver volume.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Imke L. Lemmer, Alexander Bartelt
Summary: An elegant quantitative analysis of brown fat and skeletal muscle metabolite flux reveals that brown fat predominantly uses glucose and lactate and acts as a nitrogen scavenger during thermogenesis.
Article
Zoology
Daniel Hending, Heriniaina Randrianarison, Niaina Nirina Mahefa Andriamavosoloarisoa, Christina Ranohatra-Hending, James Sedera Solofondranohatra, Haja Roger Tongasoa, Daniel Hending, Heriniaina Randrianarison, Niaina Nirina Mahefa Andriamavosoloarisoa, Christina Ranohatra-Hending, James Sedera Solofondranohatra, Haja Roger Tongasoa, Herinirina Tahina Ranarison, Victoria Gehrke, Natacha Andrianirina, Marc Holderied, Grainne McCabe, Sam Cotton
Summary: The encounter rates of dwarf lemurs in northwest Madagascar vary between wet and dry seasons, with higher rates during the wet season and lower rates from May to August. These findings provide some insight into the hibernation patterns of dwarf lemurs in Sahamalaza-Iles Radama National Park.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Marina B. Blanco, Lydia K. Greene, Laura N. Ellsaesser, Cathy V. Williams, Catherine A. Ostrowski, Megan M. Davison, Kay Welser, Peter H. Klopfer
Summary: Dwarf lemurs, as the only obligate hibernators among primates, exhibit distinct glucose and insulin dynamics during the feast-fast cycle, and their metabolic processes have implications for understanding hibernating mammals.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Daniel Schneider, Tobias Eggebrecht, Anna Linder, Nicolas Linder, Alexander Schaudinn, Matthias Blueher, Timm Denecke, Harald Busse
Summary: This study developed a software for automated adipose tissue quantification using fully convolutional networks (FCN) and compared its performance with an interactive reference method. The results showed that the software had good accuracy, reliability, processing effort, and time efficiency.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Na Luo, Jingting Shu, Xiaoya Yuan, Yuxi Jin, Huanxian Cui, Guiping Zhao, Jie Wen
Summary: By studying the deposition of IMF and AF in chicken meat, the study revealed the regulatory mechanisms of crucial genes and signaling pathways in their deposition, providing a theoretical basis for producing high-quality broilers.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Seth W. Donahue, Samantha J. Wojda, Meghan E. McGee-Lawrence, Janene Auger, Hal L. Black
Summary: Disuse osteoporosis is caused by lack of physical activity, which leads to increased bone resorption, decreased bone mass, and higher risk of fractures. Hibernating animals have evolved compensatory mechanisms to preserve skeletal muscle and bone during periods of prolonged inactivity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xun Huang, Xinmeng Li, Hongyu Shen, Yiheng Zhao, Zhao Zhou, Yushuang Wang, Jingfei Yao, Kaili Xue, Dongmei Wu, Yifu Qiu
Summary: Sympathetic innervation is crucial for the development of functional beige fat that helps to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Researchers have discovered that adipocyte YAP/TAZ inhibit sympathetic innervation by repressing the neurotropic factor S100B. Furthermore, loss of Yap/Taz or overexpression of S100B in adipocytes can limit obesity and improve metabolic homeostasis by increasing energy expenditure.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kim Gruetzmacher, William B. Karesh, John H. Amuasi, Adnan Arshad, Andrew Farlow, Sabine Gabrysch, Jens Jetzkowitz, Susan Lieberman, Clare Palmer, Andrea S. Winkler, Chris Walzer
Summary: The One Health approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of human health, non-human animal health, and ecosystem health, providing key guidance for future health. The outbreak of COVID-19 has shown the high cost of inaction, highlighting the importance of taking action now.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew Scott Luskin, Erik Meijaard, Selly Surya, Sheherazade, Chris Walzer, Matthew Linkie
Summary: The recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in Asia is posing a significant threat to endemic pig species and economic security, with over one hundred million domestic pigs already dead. Endangered Asian pig species are at risk, leading to cascading impacts on carnivores, plant communities, and livelihoods of millions of people. Management recommendations include urgent research, improved disease detection, monitoring, and proper carcass disposal.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Ruf, Sebastian G. Vetter, Johanna Painer, Gabrielle Stalder, Claudia Bieber
Summary: Female wild boars have high reproductive costs early in the year, adapting to cold temperatures by adjusting body temperature and gaining solar energy passively; their broad diet and omnivorous lifestyle contribute to high energy metabolism.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Magdalena Spiessberger, Franz Hoelzl, Steve Smith, Sebastian Vetter, Thomas Ruf, Julia Nowack
Summary: The study found that under conditions of high food availability, wild boar piglets with heavier birth weights may have shorter telomeres at birth, but this does not affect later body weight or postnatal growth rate. An increase in telomere length during postnatal development was observed during the study period, potentially due to alternative mechanisms or short pulses of telomerase activity that were missed.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Thomas Ruf, Kristina Gasch, Gabrielle Stalder, Hanno Gerritsmann, Sylvain Giroud
Summary: The duration of torpor in hibernating mammals is highly influenced by oxygen consumption and body temperature, while the oxygen consumption during arousal is correlated with the previous torpor body temperature. This suggests the presence of an "hourglass" mechanism for correcting metabolic imbalance during arousal, without the need for non-temperature-compensated circadian rhythms.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Andres Moreira-Soto, Christian Walzer, Gabor A. Czirjak, Martin H. Richter, Stephen F. Marino, Annika Posautz, Pau De Yebra Rodo, Gayle K. McEwen, Jan Felix Drexler, Alex D. Greenwood
Summary: In contrast to North American white-tailed deer, there is no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in German and Austrian deer species, based on the pseudoneutralization assay.
Article
Virology
Jeremy V. Camp, Amelie Desvars-Larrive, Norbert Nowotny, Chris Walzer
Summary: Urban rats have been found to be potential hosts for zoonotic viruses, and monitoring their presence could provide valuable insights into the activity of these viruses in urban environments.
Editorial Material
Biology
Oivind Toien, Brian M. Barnes, Thomas Ruf
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Zoology
Thomas Ruf, Claudia Bieber
Summary: This article examines the ultimate selective advantages of hibernation, focusing on the edible dormouse. The study finds that predator avoidance is one of the primary reasons for hibernation in this species.
Article
Physiology
Thomas Ruf, M. Michel, F. Frey-Roos, S. Flatz, F. Tataruch
Summary: Organ mass in alpine marmots is significantly correlated with basal metabolic rate (BMR), suggesting that the digestive system and organs involved in digestion are metabolically expensive. The mass of abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT) and the remaining carcass are also correlated with BMR, indicating that even low metabolic rate tissues such as WAT can be costly to maintain. The uptake of fat by marmots prior to hibernation enables them to hibernate without food intake and reproduce in spring but at the expense of an elevated BMR.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Sylvain Giroud, Marie-Therese Ragger, Amelie Baille, Franz Hoelzl, Steve Smith, Julia Nowack, Thomas Ruf
Summary: Garden dormice hibernating in warmer temperatures have increased food intake, reduced hibernation time, and decreased body mass loss, resulting in better survival.
FRONTIERS IN ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Alice Latinne, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, Nguyen Van Long, Pham Thi Bich Ngoc, Hoang Bich Thuy, Pham Thanh Long, Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Le Tin Vinh Quang, Nguyen Tung, Vu Sinh Nam, Vu Trong Duoc, Nguyen Duc Thinh, Randal Schoepp, Keersten Ricks, Ken K. Inui, Pawin Padungtod, Christine Johnson, Jonna A. K. H. Mazet, Chris E. Walzer, Sarah Olson, Amanda Fine
Summary: A One Health cross-sectoral surveillance approach was used to screen samples from bats, pigs, and humans in Viet Nam for zoonotic viral spillover. The study detected significant viral diversity, including coronaviruses closely related to pig pathogens, in bats roosting at high-risk interfaces. The surveillance also revealed possible previous exposure to filoviruses, bunyaviruses, and flaviviruses in humans living close to bat caves.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ortal Mizrahy-Rewald, Natalie Winkler, Frederik Amann, Katharina Neugebauer, Bernhard Voelkl, Herwig A. Grogger, Thomas Ruf, Johannes Fritz
Summary: The position and shape of biologging devices significantly influence flight distance, heart rate, and energy expenditure of birds. Unfavorable shape and positioning increase the effort required during flapping flight and impair the ability to glide or soar. The position of the devices also affects the length of flight stages. Optimizing the shape and position of the devices can reduce detrimental effects on bird performance and behavior.
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2023)
