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Comparative analysis of red deer milk proteins throughout lactation using quantitative proteomics
(Elsevier Inc, 2026-03) Maidment CA; Gathercole J; Haines S; Li S; Ye A
Red deer milk is known for its high nutritional quality, containing elevated levels of protein, fat, and essential minerals compared with other ruminant milks. This study investigates the protein profile of red deer milk across various lactation stages, using advanced liquid chromatography-MS/MS techniques to enhance understanding of its nutritional composition. In this study, milk samples were collected from 120 lactating does at 8 distinct points during the lactation period, ensuring consistent dietary conditions. Through this comprehensive approach, a total of 73 proteins were identified, with 9 previously known in deer milk. Significant variations in protein concentrations were observed, highlighting 27 proteins with substantial changes throughout lactation. These proteins are crucial for supporting the physiological needs of the fawn. Key findings revealed the roles of specific proteins, such as osteopontin and lactotransferrin, in immune function, alongside transport proteins involved in nutrient delivery, reflecting the dynamic requirements during lactation. Bioinformatics analysis indicated significant quantitative changes in protein expression, with regression analysis confirming these findings. Gene Ontology analysis was conducted; however, limitations in genomic data for red deer necessitated reliance on related species for functional annotation. The results underscore the complex biochemical changes in deer milk, establishing a foundational understanding of its unique proteome. In conclusion, despite identifying fewer proteins than observed in studies of other ruminants, this research represents the most thorough analysis of proteins in red deer milk to date. It emphasizes the dynamic nature of milk composition throughout lactation and its implications for nutritional and functional attributes in cosmetic products and food, thereby contributing valuable insights into the dairy potential of red deer.
Surgical management of a traumatic calcaneal fracture in a kitten using three-dimensional CT imaging
(SAGE Publishing, 2026-01-03) van der Merwe LM; Worth AJ
Case summary: A 4-month-old castrated male Birman kitten (2.2 kg) presented with a recent history of non-weightbearing lameness in the right hindlimb after blunt trauma. Significant orthopaedic examination findings included instability at the right proximal intertarsal joint level. Radiographic abnormalities included a medial slab fracture of the right calcaneus. Further evaluation with a three-dimensional CT scan revealed a comminuted, intra-articular calcaneal fracture. Images from three-dimensional CT fracture reconstruction were used for surgical planning. Partial tarsal arthrodesis was performed using two 1.1 mm Kirschner wires and a 22 G tension band wire. Additional 24 G cerclage was applied around the distal calcaneus to augment stability. Radiographs at 6 weeks confirmed bone union, and the implants were removed. Nine months after the accident, the cat was fully active with no residual lameness as assessed by the owner. Relevance and novel information: Calcaneal fractures in cats are rare and surgically challenging, particularly in skeletally immature animals. This report documents successful surgical stabilisation of a traumatic, comminuted calcaneal fracture using CT-guided planning. It highlights the utility of three-dimensional imaging for accurate fracture classification and surgical planning, particularly in an unusual feline orthopaedic case.
Beyond p-values: Rethinking Statistical Frameworks for Addressing the Replication Crisis
(2025-06-12) Marmolejo-Ramos F; Perezgonzalez JD; Ospina R; Hernandez-Barajas F; Castillo M; Izbicki R; Stern R; Tejada J
A multimodal data-based model for breast cancer diagnosis
(Elsevier B V, 2026-05-15) Wang H; Wei L; Li J; Liu B; Fang J; Mooney C
Background and Objective: Developing multimodal data-driven diagnostic systems has become a key clinical strategy for improving breast cancer outcomes. However, effectively modeling multimodal features remains challenging due to substantial semantic heterogeneity, scale discrepancies, and the inherent difficulty of cross-modal alignment. Although existing studies have proposed various multimodal fusion methods, most rely on direct feature concatenation or shallow integration, which fail to capture fine-grained intra-modality semantics as well as the complex interactions between histopathological and genomic modalities. Methods: In this study, we propose a multimodal diagnostic framework based on Feature Enhancement and Semantic Collaborative Alignment (FESCA). The method incorporates a semantic-guided modality feature enhancement mechanism that effectively extracts and strengthens diagnostic cues from both pathological images and genomic data. In addition, a contrastive-learning-based cross-modal alignment strategy is introduced to map heterogeneous modalities into a unified semantic space and achieve deep semantic collaboration through contrastive optimization. To ensure robust breast cancer classification under varying modality availability, a multimodal collaborative diagnostic strategy is employed to dynamically adapt the feature representations. Results: We evaluate FESCA on the TCGA-BRCA dataset, and the experimental results demonstrate that it outperforms state-of-the-art methods in breast cancer classification while significantly improving both intra-modality representation quality and cross-modal semantic alignment. Conclusion: To enhance accessibility and practical application, we developed a web-based breast cancer pathological staging diagnosis system to visualize and deploy the FESCA model, demonstrating a step toward clinical application and providing a benchmark for other research methods.
Crystal Structure of Methanogen MtxX (Methanogen Marker Protein MMP4) from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH Open Access
(Oxford University Press on behalf of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies, 2026-02-20) Sutherland-Smith AJ; Carbone V; Kaziur-Cegla W; Woermann M; Schofield LR; Ronimus RS
MtxX, also known as MMP4, is a member of the group of proteins conserved in archaeal methanogens called the Methanogen Marker Proteins (MMPs). Owing to this taxonomic distribution the MMPs are presumed to have roles related to methanogenesis or are evidence for an evolutionary history associated with methanogenic processes. MtxX is sequence-annotated as either a methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.-) or a phosphate acetyl/butyryltransferase (EC 2.3.1.8/2.3.1.19). Gene synteny analysis shows mtxX is located next to other MMP genes in Methanomicrobiales, Methanotrichales and Methanocaldococcus genomes, while in Methanobacteria and Methanococci it is positioned adjacent to undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase, a cell wall biosynthesis enzyme. We describe the crystal structure for MtxX from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH showing that it has a protein fold homologous to phosphate acetyltransferases and decarboxylating NAD(P)-dependent dehydrogenases. The MtxX structure has a conserved binding cleft which is the presumptive functional site based on crystallographic symmetry-related molecular binding interactions and structural homology.