This study aimed to understand the related statistics of APV and PBFDV in parrots, such as the positive percentage and the distributions of various ages, seasons, breeds and areas, in order to obtain more information on the health care of captive parrots in Taiwan today. Blood samples were collected from parrots that were household pets and from commercial aviaries in the northern (e.g. Taipei), central (e.g. Taichung) and southern (e.g. Kaohsiung) Taiwan regions randomly. Collection targets were mainly small and medium species such as Psittacula krameri and others such as Psittacus erithacus. Sixty samples were collected every month and a total of 720 samples in a year. DNA was extracted and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and statistical analysis. The results showed that 28.3% (204/720) were PBFDV positive, 8.6% (62/720) were APV positive in this study and they were different from the two previous studies of Taiwan and studies of other countries such as the USA and Italy; however, APV/PBFDV coinfection (12%) was similar to the two previous studies of Taiwan (10.3% and 11.04%). The main species and age most susceptible were Psittacula krameri (14.1%, 48.7%), Lorikeets (9.8%, 19.5%), Aratinga solstitialis (7.5%, 28%), Eclectus roratus (6.3%, 22.9%) and chicks that were under six-months-old (3.6%, 17.8%). APV and PBFDV are easily spread during the breeding season due to frequent contact which makes the proportion of positives higher from commercial aviaries (8.7%, 29.7%) than that from household pets (8.3%, 21.7%), mainly in spring (13.3%, 44.4%) and fall (13.9%, 38.9%).

In this study, a highly efficient carbon-supported Pd catalyst for the direct ethanol fuel cell was developed by electrodepositing nanostructured Pd on oxygen plasma-treated carbon fiber paper (Pd/pCFP). The oxygen plasma treatment has been shown to effectively remove the surface organic contaminants and add oxygen species onto the CFP to facilitate the deposition of nano-structured Pd on the surface of carbon fibers. Under the optimized and controllable electrodeposition method, nanostructured Pd of ~10 nm can be easily and evenly deposited onto the CFP. The prepared Pd/pCFP electrode exhibited an extraordinarily high electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation, with a current density of 222.8 mA mg⁻¹ Pd. Interestingly, the electrode also exhibited a high tolerance to poisoning species and long-term stability, with a high ratio of the forward anodic peak current density to the backward anodic peak current density. These results suggest that the Pd/pCFP catalyst may be a promising anodic material for the development of highly efficient direct alcohol fuel cells.

Medical device-associated infections remain a major clinical challenge due to the rapid formation of microbial biofilms on device and implant surfaces. Biofilms are estimated to be involved in approximately 65% of microbial infections and up to 80% of chronic infections. Once established on device surfaces, these biofilms exhibit profound antibiotic tolerance, making infections difficult to eradicate, prone to relapse, and often necessitating invasive device removal, thereby imposing substantial clinical and economic burdens. These biofilms drive persistent infections that are highly tolerant to systemic antimicrobials because of restricted drug penetration, reduced metabolic activity, and adaptive resistance. Catheter-related bloodstream infections exemplify these impacts, contributing to elevated morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. When drug therapy fails, device removal is often required but may not be feasible for high-risk patients. Nanotechnology offers an emerging solution through interface-engineered surfaces and targeted antibiofilm strategies. Nanostructured coatings can inhibit initial microbial adhesion, while nanocarriers can penetrate established biofilms and deliver high local concentrations of antimicrobial agents with minimal systemic exposure. This review summarizes the mechanisms of biofilm formation, the limitations of current treatments, and recent advances in nanotechnology-based approaches for preventing and eradicating device-associated biofilms, and discusses the key challenges for clinical translation.

A miniature tyrosinase-based electrochemical sensing platform for label-free detection of protein tyrosine kinase activity was developed in this study. The developed miniature sensing platform can detect the substrate peptides for tyrosine kinases, such as c-Src, Hck and Her2, in a low sample volume (1–2 μL). The developed sensing platform exhibited a high reproducibility for repetitive measurement with an RSD (relative standard deviation) of 6.6%. The developed sensing platform can detect the Hck and Her2 in a linear range of 1–200 U/mL with the detection limit of 1 U/mL. The sensing platform was also effective in assessing the specificity and efficacies of the inhibitors for protein tyrosine kinases. This is demonstrated by the detection of significant inhibition of Hck (~88.1%, but not Her2) by the Src inhibitor 1, an inhibitor for Src family kinases, as well as the significant inhibition of Her2 (~91%, but not Hck) by CP-724714 through the platform. These results suggest the potential of the developed miniature sensing platform as an effective tool for detecting different protein tyrosine kinase activity and for accessing the inhibitory effect of various inhibitors to these kinases.