Snake venoms are complex biochemical systems that function primarily in prey subjugation and defense, yet their composition varies extensively across individuals, populations, species, and environments. This variation provides a powerful framework for investigating ecological and evolutionary processes. Here, we offer a forward-looking synthesis of snake venom diversity that proposes new research directions and highlights how venom variation can illuminate eco-evolutionary dynamics across...

Parental vaccine hesitancy in the United States continues to shape childhood immunization patterns and population-level disease prevention. Although extensive evidence demonstrates that vaccines are safe and effective, many parents base vaccination decisions on concerns about adverse reactions that extend beyond risk estimates derived from epidemiological data. Parents construct these interpretations through personal experiences with adverse reactions as well as through stories circulating...

The increasing number of immunotherapies developed in the last two decades presents the need for an appropriate animal model to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments. The spontaneous nature of cancer in dogs and the common features they share with human malignancies make the dog a favorable translational model. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules in dogs are referred to as dog leukocyte antigens (DLA). Here, we introduce two antibodies for the characterization of the DLA...

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that while the DAA era has been associated with a substantial reduction in HCV-related mortality at the national level, this progress has not been uniform across all populations. Persistent excess mortality among Native American and non-Hispanic Black individuals may reflect inequities in the HCV care cascade, including screening, confirmatory testing, linkage to specialty care, insurance-related restrictions, and the high cost of antiviral therapy. These...

Following acute infection, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) establishes life-long latency in neurons. Although sensory neurons in trigeminal ganglia (TG) are primary sites for latency, the brainstem is also an important site for latency. The rationale for examining the principal sensory nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract (Pr5) receives afferent inputs from TG. Notably, the (LC) is indirectly linked to Pr5. Our previous studies revealed that senescent cells and inflammation were detected...