Polysaccharides, also known as glycans, are biological macromolecules consisting of many monosaccharide units. Alongside proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, they constitute the four fundamental substances crucial for life activities and essential for the growth and development of living organisms. As natural products with inherent biological activity, polysaccharides are widely available, nontoxic, and possess numerous functional properties, holding immense potential for advancement in food, medicine, and cosmetics. Furthermore, the exploration of polysaccharide‐based drugs, as an alternative to conventional therapies, emerges as a promising avenue for addressing future disease challenges. This article comprehensively reviews the sources, structural characteristics, synthesis, degradation, functions, and applications of polysaccharides. The potential of polysaccharides for pharmacological applications, in antitumor, antiaging, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, and anticoagulant properties, is summarized. Additionally, the role of polysaccharides in environmental protection is discussed. It is anticipated that this review will offer innovative strategic insights, serving as a theoretical foundation and inspiration for the subsequent research on polysaccharides in healthcare.

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is an intractable poultry problem that is characterized by the appearance of non-vascularized and non-mineralized cartilage masses in tibial growth plates (TGPs). However, the role of angiogenesis inhibition in the occurrence of TD remains unknown. In this study, we found that, compared to low-altitude Arbor Acres chickens (AACs), high-altitude Tibetan chickens showed higher tibial vascular distributions that were accompanied by up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and VEGF receptors. These observations provide insights into hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, which may be related to the absence of TD in high-altitude native Tibetan chickens. Importantly, hypoxia experiments also showed that during hypoxia, tibial angiogenesis was enhanced, which was due to pro-angiogenic factor up-regulation (including VEGFA, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and IL-8), in AACs. Moreover, we observed that thiram-induced TD could strongly inhibit tibial angiogenesis in the hypertrophic zone through coordinated down-regulation of HIF-1α and pro-angiogenic factors, leading to a disruption in the blood supply to the TGP. Taken together, these findings reveal that the occurrence of TD is highly associated with inhibition of tibial angiogenesis through down-regulated expression of HIF-1α, VEGFA and VEGF receptors, which results in suppression of TGP development.

Ruminants serve as one of the most important reservoirs for pathogenic Escherichia coli. Infection with E. coli, a foodborne enteropathogen, can lead to asymptomatic infections that can cause life-threatening complications in humans. Therefore, from a clinical and human health perspective, it is important to know which virulence genes, phylogenetic groups, serogroups, and antibiotic resistance patterns are present in E. coli strains in yaks with diarrheic infections. Two-hundred and ninety-two rectal swabs were collected from diarrheic yaks in Qinghai Plateau, China. The antimicrobial sensitivity of each resulting isolate was evaluated according to the disk diffusion method, and different PCR assays were performed for the detection of virulence genes and different phylogroups. Additionally, strains were allocated to different serogroups based on the presence of O antigen via the slide agglutination method. Among the E. coli isolates tested, most of the isolates were multidrug resistant (97%) and harbored at least one virulence gene (100%). We observed ten virulence genes (sfa, eaeA, cnf1, etrA, papC, hlyA, aer, faeG, rfc, and sepA), of which sfa was the most commonly found (96.9%). Significant positive associations between some resistance phenotypes and virulence genes were observed (P < 0.05, OR > 1). The majority of the E. coli isolates belonged to phylogroup A (79.5%), and the others belonged to phylogroups B1 (7.5%), D (4.1%), B2 (5.8%), and F (0.7%). Among all the E. coli strains tested, serogroups O91 and O145 were the most prevalent, accounting for 15.4 and 14.4%, respectively. Our results suggest that yaks with diarrhea serve as a reservoir of pathogenic E. coli carrying various virulence genes and resistance phenotypes. Therefore, clinicians and relevant authorities must ensure the regulatory use of antimicrobial agents and prevent the spread of these organisms through manure to farm workers and food-processing plants.

Long non-coding (lnc)RNAs have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression and are involved in almost every cellular process. They can bind to other molecules including DNA, proteins, or even other RNA types such messenger RNA or small RNAs. LncRNAs are typically expressed at much lower levels than mRNA, and their expression is often restricted to tissue- or time-specific developmental stages. They are also involved in several inter-species interactions, including vector–host–pathogen interactions, where they can be either vector/host-derived or encoded by pathogens. In these interactions, they function via multiple mechanisms including regulating pathogen growth and replication or via cell-autonomous antimicrobial defense mechanisms. Recent advances suggest that characterizing lncRNAs and their targets in different species may hold the key to understanding the role of this class of non-coding RNA in interspecies crosstalk. In this review, we present a general overview of recent studies related to lncRNA-related regulation of gene expression as well as their possible involvement in regulating vector–host–pathogen interactions.