The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice (Slovak: Univerzita veterinárskeho lekárstva a farmácie v Košiciach) is a public single faculty university in Košice, Slovakia that provides undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education in veterinary medicine, animal science, cynology, pharmacy and food safety.The university was established as the Veterinary College in Košice (Slovak: Vysoká škola veterinárska v Košiciach) by the Act of the Slovak National Council No. 1/1950 Coll. of 16 December 1949 on the establishment of the Veterinary College in Košice (Slovak: zákon Slovenskej národnej rady č. 1/1950 Zb. zák. SNR o zriadení Vysokej školy veterinárskej v Košiciach), though the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of the Veterinary College in Košice (Slovak: Prípravný výbor pre založenie Vysokej školy zverolekárskej v Košiciach) appointed on 19 July 1949 under the chairmanship of Professor Ján Hovorka, the head of the Faculty of Agriculture of the Agricultural and Forestry Engineering College in Košice. The college began its teaching activities with its first lecture on 5 October 1949.It became the first school of veterinary medicine in Slovakia and the second one in Czechoslovakia since the establishment of the Veterinary College in Brno on 12 December 1918. It still remains the only institution in Slovakia offering courses in veterinary medicine.
Herein we report the first occurrence of Ixodes ariadnae in Slovakia. One engorged female was collected from a greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) in the spring of 2025. Identification of the collected I. ariadnae specimen was based on morphological characters and confirmed by sequencing COI genes and mitochondrial 16S rDNA. Sequences showed > 99-100% similarity to specimens collected in other European countries. This expands the known range of I. ariadnae and calls for the further investigation into its host associations, prevalence, and potential role in tick-borne pathogen transmission among European bats.
This study focuses on the development of antibacterial polymer nanocomposites based on biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the polymer matrix. Silver nanoparticles were produced using an aqueous extract from dried Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) leaves, which proved to be highly effective in reducing silver ions and stabilizing the resulting nanoparticles. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis, TEM, SEM, and DLS analyses. The nanoparticles were predominantly spherical, with more than 70% having diameters below 20 nm. Subsequently, AgNPs were incorporated into the PVA matrix via an ex situ approach to fabricate nanocomposite fibers and thin films. SEM analysis confirmed successful incorporation and uniform distribution of AgNPs within the polymer structures. The nanocomposites exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Streptococcus uberis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria, with nanofibers demonstrating superior performance compared to thin films. These findings highlight the potential of lavender-extract-mediated AgNPs as sustainable functional fillers for the fabrication of eco-friendly antibacterial materials applicable in biomedical and food packaging fields.
The invasive mosquito Aedes (Hulecoeteomyia) koreicus (Edwards, 1917), originally native to East Asia, has recently established populations across several European countries. This study provides the first molecular confirmation of Ae. koreicus in Slovakia. Adult females were collected during nationwide mosquito surveillance conducted between June and October 2024. Morphological identification was confirmed by sequencing a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Slovak Ae. koreicus sequences clustered with reference sequences from Italy, Hungary, Belgium, and Germany. BLAST analysis showed 98.4–100% nucleotide identity with European Ae. koreicus isolates. Two principal genetic clusters were detected—one related to Hungarian isolates and another to Italian isolates, suggesting multiple introduction pathways or regional spread from established populations in Central Europe. These findings confirm the ongoing expansion of Ae. koreicus in Central Europe.
Stroke is a serious disease, ranking among the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability in EU countries. The ischemic cascade, triggered by the blockage of oxygenated blood supply to brain tissue, leads to excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and eventually, cell death. Current research highlights the promising neuroprotective effects of conditioning, which induces ischemic tolerance (IT). Thus, the main objective of this study is to analyze selected genes affected by ischemic stroke and the neuroprotective response to ischemic stroke, with a focus on ischemia and ischemic tolerance in peripheral blood. We investigated changes in gene expression indicative of cerebral ischemia during carotid endarterectomy (CEA), a procedure that involves the temporary occlusion of the arteria carotis interna. To assess the influence of CEA on IT induction, we performed a whole-transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood cells isolated from symptomatic (791 DEGs in correlation with negative control), asymptomatic (688 DEGs in correlation with negative control), and oximetric (637 DEGs in correlation with negative control) patients. The presence of gene expression changes in genes selectively identified through whole-transcriptome analysis was subsequently statistically verified. Using quantitative qRT-PCR, we monitored gene expression changes in10 genes SLC2A14, TRPM7, UGP2, PLLP, ND4L, HMSD, SESN3, DPY19L4, UBE3A, and PCDH9. The results suggest that CEA affected the expression of all monitored genes, with statistically significant differences between groups, indicating the activation of distinct ischemic tolerance cascades in different patient groups. These findings may contribute to a better understanding and characterizing of the molecular mechanisms underlying ischemic tolerance.
The performance of non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors for diabetes diagnostics has been significantly improved due to the high sensitivity and rapid response of nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs). However, conventional synthesis routes often yield Ni NPs with ligand-passivated surfaces, limiting the accessibility of catalytically active sites. To overcome this limitation, we employed laser ablation in liquids (LAL) to produce ligand-free Ni NPs without the use of stabilizing agents, in a green and effective way. The resulting quasi-spherical Ni NPs (predominantly sub-10 nm in size) consisted of metallic Ni/NiO nanostructures that provided accessible redox-active surface and electrochemical stability. These Ni NPs were integrated into screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs), forming rapid and catalytically active interfaces for insulin oxidation via thiol-to-disulfide conversion. After optimization of the NPs loading, the developed SPCE-based sensor exhibited a low detection limit of 28 nM, a linear response range of 0.25–5 μM, successful detection in blood serum sample, and retained ∼88% of its initial electrochemical response after four weeks. Overall, this work shows that LAL-derived Ni-based nanostructures provide a simple, scalable, and environmentally benign platform for non-enzymatic insulin detection, with broader relevance for electrochemical sensing and analytical applications.
