In combination, these innovations offer new avenues for addressing outstanding questions concerning olfactory communication in humans and other species, as well as in related fields using odour, such as biometrics and disease diagnostics. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.Objectives Brain morphology and its relation to endocrine parameters was examined, in order to determine the link of these parameters to treatment outcome to psychopharmacological treatment in depressed patients.Methods We examined the potentially predictive value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) parameters related to mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) function on the treatment outcome of depression. 16 inpatients with a major depressive episode (MDE) were studied at baseline and 14 of them approximately six weeks later. Physiological biomarkers and 3-T-structural MRI based volume measures, using FreeSurfer 6.0 software, were determined.Results Non-responders ( less then 50% reduction of HAMD-21; n = 6) had a significantly smaller volume of the right anterior cingulate cortex, a significantly larger ventricle to brain ratio (VBR) and third ventricle volume, and smaller volumes of the central and central-anterior corpus callosum (CC) in comparison to responders (n = 7; all p ≤ 0.05). Correlational analysis (Spearman) demonstrated that larger ventricle volume was correlated to a worse treatment outcome, higher body mass index (BMI) and smaller CC segment volume, whereas the total CC volume was negatively correlated to the saliva aldosterone/cortisol concentration ratio (AC-ratio).Conclusion Large ventricular volume may be a predictive marker for worse treatment response to standard antidepressant treatment, potentially via compression of white matter structures. A mediating role of the previously identified markers BMI and the AC-ratio, is suggested.This study employs machine learning algorithms to examine the causes for engaging in violent offending in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Data were collected from 370 inpatients at the Centre for Inpatient Forensic Therapy, Zurich University Hospital of Psychiatry, Switzerland. Based on findings of the general strain theory and using logistic regression and machine learning algorithms, it was analyzed whether accumulation and type of stressors in the inpatients' history influenced the severity of an offense. A higher number of stressors led to more violent offenses, and five types of stressors were identified as being highly influential regarding violent offenses. Our findings suggest that an accumulation of stressful experiences in the course of life and certain types of stressors might be particularly important in the development of violent offending in individuals suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A better understanding of risk factors that lead to violent offenses should be helpful for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies for patients at risk and could thus potentially reduce the prevalence of violent offenses.Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite that causes abortion and important economic losses in cattle worldwide. There are no treatments or vaccines available; disease control is based on diagnosis and herd management strategies. We developed, validated, and evaluated under field conditions a competitive inhibition ELISA based on the truncated SAG1 protein (tSAG1), expressed in Escherichia coli, and the RafNeo5 monoclonal antibody (ciELISAtSAG1). A criterion based on the 3-y sequential serologic analysis of 230 dairy cows by IFAT was used as the gold standard. The assay was validated using 860 serum samples from cows that were consistently positive or negative by IFAT throughout the study period. ciELISAtSAG1 was then used to evaluate the prevalence of neosporosis in 16 beef cow herds (22 samples per herd, 352 total samples). The results were compared with those from IFAT and a commercial cELISA (cELISAVMRD). The ciELISAtSAG1 cutoff was ≥ 29%I, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 98.7% (95% CI = 96.8-99.7%) and a diagnostic specificity of 97.9% (95% CI = 96.4-99.0%). Concordance among IFAT, cELISAVMRD, and ciELISAtSAG1 was 90.3%. The agreement (κ) between ciELISAtSAG1 and the other 2 tests was ≥ 0.81. The overall prevalence of neosporosis in the 16 beef herds was 30% (range 5-60%). The ciELISAtSAG1 could be useful for large-scale detection of anti-N. caninum antibodies in cattle and seroepidemiologic investigations, given its appropriate sensitivity and specificity, and the simplicity of production.Effective strategy to mitigate the ongoing pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) require a comprehensive understanding of humoral responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the emerging virus causing COVID-19. The dynamic profile of viral replication and shedding along with viral antigen specific antibody responses among COVID-19 patients started to be reported but there is no consensus on their patterns. Here, we conducted a serial investigation on 21 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in two medical centres from Jiangsu Province, including 11 non-severe COVID-19 patients, and 5 severe COVID-19 patients and 5 asymptomatic carriers based on nucleic acid test and clinical symptoms.  https://www.selleckchem.com/  The longitudinal swab samples and sera were collected from these people for viral RNA testing and antibody responses, respectively. Our data revealed different pattern of seroconversion among these groups. All 11 non-severe COVID-19 patients and 5 severe COVID-19 patients were seroconverted during hospitalization or follow-up period, suggesting that serological testing is a complementary assay to nucleic acid test for those symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Of note, immediate antibody responses were identified among severe cases, compared to non-severe cases. On the other hand, only one were seroconverted for asymptomatic carriers. The SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses were well-maintained during the observation period. Such information is of immediate relevance and would assist COVID-19 clinical diagnosis, prognosis and vaccine design.