Abstract Background Chronic heat stress (HS) is known to impair animal health and productivity, in part by altering gut microbiota. This study investigated how HS affects the pig gut microbiome and whether dietary supplementation with antioxidants and trace elements (vitamins E, C, selenium, and zinc) at moderate (D1) or high (D2) doses can mitigate these effects. Results During the adaptation phase, feed efficiency was similar across groups, but as the experiment progressed, the thermoneutral control improved while the heat-stressed control deteriorated. Supplemented diets (D1/D2) partially alleviated this efficiency loss. Microbiome analysis revealed that HS progressively reduced diversity, reaching the lowest Shannon index during exposure. High-dose supplementation markedly increased richness, exceeding control levels. Total microbial abundance declined under HS, with opportunistic pathogens enriched particularly during early exposure. Guild-level indices further indicated a shift under HS. Aerotolerance indices decreased (ATi: TC > D1 > D2 > HSC), reflecting hypoxia-prone conditions favoring obligate anaerobes and SCFA producers. Among supplemented groups, D1 most closely stabilized aerotolerance toward control levels, while D2 maintained an SCFA-dominant community and enhanced butyrate capacity. Genus-level correlations with qPCR-based host gene-expression markers were assessed across all groups. HSP70 was the dominant correlate, and the most extreme associations were confined to a few taxa, indicating marked group specificity. Conclusion Chronic HS in pigs induced microbial dysbiosis characterized by reduced diversity, loss of beneficial SCFA producers, and expansion of opportunistic pathogens. Dietary supplementation counteracted these adverse changes in a dose-dependent manner. While moderate supplementation provided partial stabilization, high-dose supplementation more effectively restored microbial diversity and enriched beneficial taxa, making it the more effective strategy for mitigating HS-induced microbiome disruption.

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat, yet international comparisons of the human gut resistome remain limited, and the relative contributions of climatic, environmental, socioeconomic, and dietary drivers to resistome burden and composition are poorly resolved. Methods We characterised the gut resistome across 34 countries spanning four continents using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of pooled stool samples from 116 young adult medical students newly enrolled at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. This deliberately homogeneous sampling frame minimised within-country socioeconomic heterogeneity and allowed country-level differences to be more confidently attributed to country-of-origin exposures. Country-level environmental (temperature, PM2.5, precipitation), socioeconomic (Human Development Index), and dietary data (national dietary archetypes, Alternative Healthy Eating Index) were integrated with resistome profiles, alongside veterinary antibiotic use estimates (mg/PCU). Results Total resistance gene burden was primarily driven by climatic factors: temperature explained 15% of variance, corresponding to a 22% increase in total AMR abundance per 10°C, and this effect was independent of continent (Type II p = 0.030). In contrast, resistome composition was structured by continent, dietary pattern, and veterinary antibiotic use. Sub-Saharan African countries with low-diversity subsistence diets diverged significantly from the remaining cohort (PERMANOVA R² = 0.121, p = 0.003), with tetracycline resistance enriched (log2FC = + 0.50) and macrolide, and nitrofuran resistance depleted. Conclusion Gut resistome burden and composition are shaped by distinct drivers, with region-specific resistance signatures reflecting divergent agricultural, clinical, and environmental exposures, findings that inform region-tailored antimicrobial stewardship strategies.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge requiring cross-sector action, with research largely focused on chickens, leaving ducks underexplored. This study examines AMR dynamics in Ross 308 broilers and Cherry Valley ducks over 15 months and 15 stocking periods under consistent rearing conditions. A total of 96 pooled samples were collected: 50 from broiler farms (26 biological, 24 environmental) and 46 from duck farms (24 biological, 22 environmental). Using next-generation shotgun sequencing, 3,665 distinct AMR types were identified: 1,918 in broilers and 1,747 in ducks. Host-specific AMRs comprised 25.3% in broilers and 18% in ducks, while 56.7% were shared. AMR diversity declined across production phases, with broilers losing 641 types and ducks losing 308, yet AMR frequencies increased significantly by the finisher phase (p < 0.0001). Based on in silico data, prophylactic antibiotic use significantly reduced the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in both poultry species (p < 0.05). Hospital-acquired infection-associated AMRs were higher in broilers than in ducks at the start of production but declined significantly by the end of the rearing period (p < 0.0001). Above-average resistance markers accounted for approximately 10% of all detected resistance determinants. Tetracycline and phenicol resistances emerged as the most prevalent. 13 high-resistance carrier (HRC) species were shared between both hosts. Broiler-specific HRCs exhibited significantly higher abundances (relative frequency: 0.08) than duck-specific HRCs (relative frequency: 0.003, p = 0.035). The grower phase emerged as a critical intervention point. In farm environments 15 broiler-specific and 9 duck-specific biomarker species were identified, each strongly correlated with poultry-core HRCs (correlation coefficient > 0.7). Broiler exhibited higher abundances of key resistance genes, with tetracycline resistance predominantly associated with Bacteroides coprosuis, Pasteurella multocida, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Despite its limitations, this research provides key insights into AMR trends in two major poultry types, guiding targeted interventions and sustainable management strategies.

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to examine the effect of dietary natural compounds, such as β‐glucan, carotenoids, oligosaccharides and anthocyanins, on immune response and tight junction proteins in broiler chickens. A total of 900 one‐day‐old chickens were allocated to five treatments in three floor pens (replicates) of 60 broilers per pen. Chickens were fed five diets: a control (basal) diet, a diet supplemented with β‐glucan at 0.05%, or diets supplemented with carotenoids, oligosaccharides or anthocyanins at 0.5% of each compound. Male broilers were randomly selected for sample collections. On Day 25, plasma samples were collected from the brachial vein. On Day 26, six broilers were intraperitoneally injected with 2 mg of lipopolysaccharide per kg of body weight. Twelve hours later (Day 27), blood and ileum samples were collected to determine immune parameters and tight junction proteins using ELISA assays. The results showed that anthocyanin supplementation reduced the level of interleukin‐1β compared to the lipopolysaccharide‐injected control group (p = 0.047), which suggests that anthocyanin could partly alleviate the inflammation. Carotenoids reached a lower level of interleukin‐6 compared to the β‐glucan treatment (p = 0.0466). β‐Glucan (p = 0.0382) and oligosaccharides (p = 0.0449) increased the level of plasma immunoglobulin G compared to the challenged control group, which may indicate an enhanced humoral immunity. Furthermore, β‐glucan (except for occludin 2), carotenoids, oligosaccharides and anthocyanins increased (p < 0.05) the levels of ileal zonula occludens‐1, occludin 1 and occludin 2 compared to the lipopolysaccharide‐challenged control chickens. This may suggest that all the bioactive substances improved the gut barrier function. The plasma levels of tight junction proteins show higher concentrations in lipopolysaccharide‐challenged groups compared to the non‐challenged groups (p < 0.05). This may refer to the tight junction disruption and appearance in circulation as a reflection of lipopolysaccharide exposure.

Shotgun metabarcoding was conducted to examine the microbiota in a total of 48 samples from 12 critically ill patients, analyzing samples from both the oropharynx and rectum. We aimed to compare their postadmission microbiota, characterized as moderately dysbiotic, with the severely dysbiotic antemortem microbiota associated with patients’ deaths. We found that, compared with postadmission samples, patient antemortem swab samples presented moderate but not significantly decreased diversity indices. The antemortem oropharyngeal samples presented an increase in biofilm-forming bacteria, including Streptococcus oralis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Enterococcus faecalis. Although the septic shock rate was 67%, no significant differences were detected in the potential pathogen ratios when the microbiota was analyzed. A notable strain-sharing rate between the oropharynx and intestine was noted. By comparing postadmission and antemortem samples, microbial biomarkers of severe dysbiosis were pinpointed through the analysis of differentially abundant and uniquely emerging species in both oropharyngeal and rectal swabs. Demonstrating strong interconnectivity along the oral-intestinal axis, these biomarkers could serve as indicators of the progression of dysbiosis. Furthermore, the microbial networks of the oropharyngeal microbiota in deceased patients presented the lowest modularity, suggesting a vulnerable community structure. Our data also highlight the critical importance of introducing treatments aimed at enhancing the resilience of the oral cavity microbiome, thereby contributing to better patient outcomes.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) may occur as a serious complication of hematological malignancy. Delays in antifungal therapy can lead to an invasive disease resulting in high mortality. Currently, there are no well-established blood circulating microRNA biomarkers or laboratory tests which can be used to diagnose IA. Therefore, we aimed to define dysregulated miRNAs in hematology and oncology (HO) patients to identify biomarkers predisposing disease. We performed an in-depth analysis of high-throughput small transcriptome sequencing data obtained from the whole blood samples of our study cohort of 50 participants including 26 high-risk HO patients and 24 controls. By integrating in silico bioinformatic analyses of small noncoding RNA data, 57 miRNAs exhibiting significant expression differences (P < 0.05) were identified between IA-infected patients and non-IA HO patients. Among these, we found 36 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) irrespective of HO malignancy. Of the top ranked DEMs, we found 14 significantly deregulated miRNAs, whose expression levels were successfully quantified by qRT-PCR. MiRNA target prediction revealed the involvement of IA related miRNAs in the biological pathways of tumorigenesis, the cell cycle, the immune response, cell differentiation and apoptosis.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of natural compounds, such as β-glucan, carotenoids, oligosaccharides, and anthocyanins in the diet on bacteria gropus of excreta in Ross 308 broiler chickens. Chickens were fed 5 diets: control (basal) diet, a diet supplemented by β-glucan at 0.05%, and diets supplemented by carotenoids, oligosaccharides, or anthocyanins at 0.5% of each compound. On experimental day 19, excreta were collected to determine the proportion of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Campylobacter, Clostridium, and Escherichia coli. Samples were collected aseptically and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Bacterial DNA was isolated from samples, then polymerase chain reaction using primer pairs designed to the 16S rDNA of bacterial groups were applied to define the proportion of the mentioned bacteria. Another universal primer pair was used to amplify a region of 16S rDNA of all the examined bacteria. Proportion of each bacterial groups was determined relatively to the intensity of universal PCR product band by gel documenting system and ImageLab software. Based on the results, carotenoids and anthocyanins increased the proportion of Bifidobacterium, which might imply the beneficial effects of the mentioned compounds on the bacteria composition of excreta.

In the aquaculture sector, a strategy for the more efficient use of resources and proper disease control is needed to overcome the challenges of meat production worldwide. Modulation of the gastrointestinal tract microbiota is a promising approach for promoting animal health and preventing infection. This feeding experiment was conducted to discover the phytonutrient-induced changes in the gastrointestinal tract microbiota of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Acclimatized animals aged 7 months (30 weeks) were divided randomly into five experimental groups to investigate the effects of the applied feed additives. The dietary supplements were manufactured from anthocyanin-containing processing wastes from the food industry, specifically the production of Hungarian sour cherry extract, synbiotics from fermented corn, and fermentable oligosaccharides from Hungarian sweet red pepper seeds and carotenoids from Hungarian sweet red pepper pulps, applied at a dose of 1%. The gut contents of the animals were collected at four time points throughout the 6-week study period. To track the compositional and diversity changes in the microbiota of the carp intestinal tract, V3-V4 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic sequencing was performed. The growth performance of common carp juveniles was not significantly affected by supplementation of the basal diet with plant extracts. Phytonutrients improve the community diversity, increase the Clostridium and Lactobacillus abundances and decrease the abundances of potentially pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, such as Shewanella, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Aeromonas. The phyla Proteobacteria, Tenericutes and Chlamydiae were positively correlated with the body weight, whereas Spirochaetes and Firmicutes exhibited negatively correlations with the body weight. We hypothesize that the application of phytonutrients in aquaculture settings might be a reasonable green approach for easing the usage of antibiotics.

Szabó Gábor 1927. január 2-án született Sárospatakon. Apja – Szabó Gyula sárospataki orvos – nagyon szegény máramarosi zsidó családból származott. A tehetséges fiú taníttatását – családi összefogással is támogatva – nagy nehézségek árán oldották meg. Ezt később, hasonlóan szegény családtagok támogatásával igyekezett viszonozni. Anyja, Schwartz Frida, földbirtokos családból származott, s adóssággal terhelt földbirtokot vitt a házasságba. A szülők kemény munkával, szerény jómódban éltek. Két fiúgyermekük volt, Sándor és a négy évvel fiatalabb Gábor. Gábor sokrétű érdeklődésének, tehetségének kibontakozásában nagy szerepet játszott a sárospataki református gimnázium, ahol jó nevű, külföldet járt, és részben külföldi (angol) tanároktól klasszikus műveltséget kapott. Tanárai között volt Maller Sándor későbbi párizsi UNESCO nagykövet, és Képes Géza költő műfordító, de tájékozódását segítette a nagyhírű pataki könyvtár is, ahová szinte korlátlan bejárása volt. Gyermek és ifjú korának ezeket a boldog pataki éveit azonban hamarosan követték a diszkrimináció, a zsidóüldözés évei, majd a deportálások borzalmai. Ezek során elveszítette családja sok tagját, köztük testvérbátyját és szüleit is. Ő maga is megjárta a koncentrációs tábort. A felszabadulást Drezdában élte meg, amit a következőképp írt le:

2020 októberében a Debreceni Egyetem klinikai telepén szobrot avattak Prof. Dr. Szabó Gábor tiszteletére, akinek úttörő szerepe volt a az orvosi biológia, majd orvosi genetika oktatásának debreceni és hazai megszervezésében. A professzor személyiségét, legfőbb kutatási eredményeit és nemzetközi elismertségét egyik volt tanítványa elevenítette fel beszédében.

Effects of nutraceuticals on the intestinal microbiota are receiving increased attention; however, there are few studies investigating their effects on broiler meat production. The aim of this study was to implement feeding strategies and carry out a comprehensive trial examining the interplay between natural biologically active compounds such as carotenoids, anthocyanins, fermentable oligosaccharides, and synbiotics and the gastrointestinal tract microbiota. Our feeding program was applied to an intensive production system with a flock of 1,080 Ross 308 broilers. Aging induced significant changes through the feeding experiment. Nutraceuticals were shown to modulate broiler intestinal diversity and differentially enriched Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Campylobacter, and Streptococcus in the core microbiome during the different stages of broiler rearing. Additionally, they did not remarkably affect animal growth performance; nevertheless, a positive correlation was found between body weight and Corynebacteriales and Pseudomonadales Furthermore, a diet high in carotenoid, fermentable oligosaccharide, and anthocyanin contents affected the number of beneficial genera such as Faecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, Blautia, and Ruminococcus With this comprehensive trial, we revealed that nutraceuticals induced modulations in broiler gastrointestinal tract microbiota. We believe that plant-derived immunostimulants, recycled from plant food waste products, can supplement antibiotic-free broiler meat production.IMPORTANCE In this trial, nutraceuticals were manufactured from waste products of food industry processing of Hungarian red sweet pepper and sour cherry and incorporated into the diet of poultry to investigate their effects on broilers' growth and the broiler gastrointestinal tract microbiota. To avoid the generation of food waste products, we believe that this approach can be developed into a sustainable, green approach that can be implemented in commercial antibiotic-free poultry to provide safe and high-quality meat.

Background The effects of nutraceuticals on the modulation of the intestinal microbiota are receiving increased attention however there are scarce number of studies investigating their effects in broiler meat production. The aim of this study was to implement feeding strategies and carry out a comprehensive trial on the interplay between carotenoids, anthocyanins, fructo-oligosaccharides, probiotics and gastrointestinal tract microbiota. Our feeding program was applied on an intensive production system with 1080 broiler Ross 308 flock. Results We observed that nutraceuticals and synbiotics did not affect growth performance remarkably nevertheless, positive correlation was found between body weight and the beneficious Bacteroidales , Corynebacteriales and Pseudomonadales . Nutraceuticals were shown to boost broiler intestinal diversity and differentially enriched Lactobacillus , Enterococcus , Streptococcus and Escherichia-Shigella in core microbiome during the different stages of broiler rearing. Furthermore, diet supplemented with different nutraceuticals was shown to increase the number of unique beneficial bacteria ( Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia ). Conclusion We concluded that nutraceutical-based feeding strategies can offer a promising, green approach for intensive poultry rearing by improving the health and production of livestock. We believe that the conversion of food industrial waste would result more sustainable bioactive component rich forages which invention could be implemented by other commercial antibiotic-free animal production system providing safe and quality meat.

Fungal infections represent a worrisome complication in hematologic cancer patients and in the absence of disease specific symptoms, it is important to establish new biological indicators, which can be used during mould-active prophylaxis. Recently, miRNAs have appeared as candidate diagnostic and prognostic markers of several diseases. A pilot clinical study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of 14 microRNAs which can be related to invasive fungal infections. Based on our data miR-142-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-26b-5p and miR-21-5p showed significant overexpression (p < 0.005) due to invasive aspergillosis in hemato-oncology patients with profound neutropenia. A tetramiR assay was designed to monitor peripheral blood specimens. Optimal cut-off was estimated by using the median value (fold change 1.1) of the log10 transformed gene expressions. The biomarker panel was evaluated on two independent sample cohorts implementing different antimicrobial prophylactic strategies. The receiver operating characteristic analysis with area under the curve proved to be 0.97. Three miRNAs (miR-142-5p, miR-142-3p, miR-16-5p) showed significant expression alterations in episodes with sepsis. In summary, the tetramiR assay proved to be a promising diagnostic adjunct with sufficient accuracy and sensitivity to trace invasive aspergillosis in hemato-oncology patients.

A magyar méreggyilok (Vincetoxicum pannonicum (Borhidi) Holub) pannon endemiz­mus, ismereteink szerint csupán országhatárainkon belül, a Budai-hegység néhány pontján, valamint a Villányi-hegységben a Szársomlyón fordul elő. Szükségesnek láttuk, hogy tisztázzuk a magyar méreg­gyilok ismert populációinak elhelyezkedését és állományainak nagyságát, ugyanis több téves dűlőnév is megjelent a szakirodalomban, az egyetlen populációnagysággal is foglalkozó publikáció pedig téves adatokat közöl. Ismert állományai a Budai-hegységben: Községi erdő (Budajenő); Szekrényes-hegy, Kő-hegy, Odvas-hegy, Szállás-hegy, Út-hegy (Budaörs); Fekete-hegyek (Páty); illetve a Villányi-hegységben a Szársomlyó (Nagyharsány). A teljes országos állomány az állo­mányfelmérési tapasztalatok alapján 3550 tő körül van, a legnagyobb egyedszámú szubpopulációk a budajenői Községi erdő, a Szállás-hegy és a Fekete-hegyek területén találhatók. A magyar méreggyilok állománya a Budai-hegységben sta­bil­nak mondható, a szársomlyói állomány sokkal sérülékenyebb: három kisebb foltban tenyészik és nagy­já­ból 50 tőből áll. A felmérési időpontok alapján a virágzás csúcsa május 20. és 29. közé tehető.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of carotenoid, oligosaccharide and anthocyanin supplementation in broiler diets under Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Ross 308 chickens were fed 5 diets: basal diet (control diet), diet supplemented with β-glucan in 0.05% (positive control) and diets with 0.5% carotenoid-, oligosaccharide- or anthocyanin contents. On the 26th days of age, chickens were challenged intraperitoneally 2 mg LPS per kg of body weight. 12 h after injection, birds were euthanized, then spleen and ileum samples were collected. LPS induced increased relative mRNA expression of splenic (p = 0.0445) and ileal (p = 0.0435) interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which was lower in the spleen in carotenoid (p = 0.0114), oligosaccharide (p = 0.0497) and anthocyanin (p = 0.0303)-treated chickens compared to LPS-injected control birds. Dietary supplementation of carotenoids also decreased relative gene expression of splenic interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p = 0.0325). In the ileum, β-glucan supplementation showed lower relative mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 5 (TLR-5) (p = 0.0387) compared to anthocyanin treatment. Gene expression of both splenic and ileal interferon-α (IFN-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) and toll-like receptor 5 (TLR-5) were not influenced by dietary supplements. In conclusion, carotenoids, oligosaccharides and anthocyanins could partially mitigate the immune stress caused by LPS challenge. All of the compounds impacted longer villus height (p < 0.0001), villus height:crypt depth ratios were higher after β-glucan (p < 0.0001) and anthocyanin (p = 0.0063) supplementations and thickened mucosa was observed in β-glucan (p < 0.0001), oligosaccharide (p < 0.0001) and anthocyanin (p = 0.048) treatments. All of these findings could represent a more effective absorption of nutrients.

In recent years, intensive fish farming has led to an outbreak of several diseases, and the health status of fish can affect the economy of aquaculture. Since fish health and intestinal health are in correlation, it may also have an impact on immunity. Accordingly, many natural feed additives are being used to improve immune functions. In our study, carotenoids, oligosaccharides, and anthocyanins were applied at 1 m/m% in feed to investigate their effects on cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) in spleen and mid-intestine of 6 months old carp. Gene expression analysis was carried out to examine IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α, and IRF-1 mRNA levels in fish spleen and mid-intestine. The gene expression level of pro-inflammatory IL-1β decreased in the mid-intestine of carotenoid-fed carp compared to anthocyanin supplemented group, but the effects of the bioactive plant extracts were not observed on the examined cytokines compared to control fish.

Here, we developed protocols to improve sensitivity, rigor and comparability of 16S rRNA gene amplification-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) results. A thorough study was performed by evaluating extraction efficiency with respect to the yield, purity, fragmentation of the purified DNA, and sequencing metrics considering the number of quality reads, amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), community structure and biodiversity. We identified batch-effects that significantly bias broiler gastrointestinal tract (GIT) community compositions and made recommendations to improve sensitivity, consistency, and cross-study comparability. We found that the purity of the extracted nucleic acid had a strong effect on the success rate of downstream library preparations. The preparation of stool bacterial suspensions from feces showed a significant positive influence on community biodiversity by enriching Gram-negative bacteria and cataloguing low abundant taxa with greater success than direct processing of fecal material. Applications relying on the automated Roche MagNa Pure 24 magnetic-bead based method provided results with high consistency therefore it seems to be the optimal choice in large-scale studies for investigating broiler GIT microbiota.

BACKGROUND/AIMS:A-factor, a γ-butyrolactone autoregulator, in Streptomyces griseus is involved in the regulation of differentiation and antibiotic production. Here we studied the S. griseus B2682-AFN (A-factor negative) bald mutant that harbors a nonsense mutation in the afsR gene encoding a pleiotropic regulator. Our aim was to prove that this mutation is the cause of the A-factor deficiency in AFN. We also studied whether AfsR regulates A-factor production by AfsA, which is supposed to be the only specific key enzyme in A-factor biosynthesis.METHODS:Wild afsR was cloned to the pHJL401 shuttle vector and was transformed to the S. griseus AFN and B2682 strains. During phenotypic characterization, sporulation, antibiotic, protease, A-factor, and AfsA protein production were studied.RESULTS:Transformation of AFN by a wild afsR restored its phenotype including sporulation, antibiotic, extracellular protease, and A-factor production. Introduction of afsR to the B2682 wild-type strain resulted in antibiotic and extracellular protease overproduction that was accompanied with an elevated A-factor level. AfsA was detected both in AFN and B2682.CONCLUSIONS:AfsR has an effect on the regulation of A-factor production in S. griseus. The presence of AfsA is not sufficient for normal A-factor production. AfsR regulates A-factor biosynthesis independently of AfsA.

Hypospadias is one of the most frequent congenital anomalies of the male external genitalia. Its pathogenesis is due to largely unknown or poorly understood genetic factors and is further complicated by environmental—intrauterine—risk factors. One of the genes currently in focus by molecular biologists and clinicians studying syndromic forms of hypospadias is the Wilms' tumour 1 (WT1) gene. There is controversy over whether WT1 defects are also responsible for isolated hypospadias. In this review, we briefly cover the role of WT1 as a transcription factor and discuss proposed pathogenic pathways leading to hypospadias, outlining possible directions for research. We assess available evidence on the gene's mutations and polymorphisms recently suggested in the background of the disease, and examine the putative role of WT1-associated proteins. We also review relevant aspects of genome-wide association studies carried out so far, and raise some points to consider in future efforts.

Fungal bloodstream infections (BSI) may be serious and are associated with drastic rise in mortality and health care costs. Candida spp. are the predominant etiological agent of fungal sepsis. The prompt and species-level identification of Candida may influence patient outcome and survival. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the CanTub-simplex PCR assay coupled with Tm calling and subsequent high resolution melting (HRM) analysis to barcode seven clinically relevant Candida species.