Abstract:Indian Costus/Qust al-Hindi is used in Islamic Prophetic Medicine, Ayurveda, Unani medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, yet the term is inconsistently applied to two botanically distinct plants: Saussurea lappa/Saussurea costus and Costus speciosus. Pediatric use is prominent for throat disorders, but child-specific evidence remains limited. This narrative review synthesizes pediatric relevance by integrating ethnomedical records, phytochemistry, preclinical mechanisms, human data, and safety considerations, emphasizing translational readiness. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and traditional medicine sources were searched without date restriction and updated in May 2026. Evidence was categorized as pediatric clinical, mixed-age clinical, preclinical/indirect, or safety/quality control; meta-analysis was not attempted given heterogeneity across species, preparations, routes, and outcomes. Clinical evidence is sparse. A small, uncontrolled pilot study reported improvement in pharyngitis/tonsillitis following nasal administration of aqueous Costus speciosus extract, but efficacy cannot be inferred. A randomized, double-blind pediatric trial of topical Saussurea costus oil for monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis showed improvement in both the Costus and sesame-oil groups, with no statistically significant superiority of either. Evidence for asthma, atopic dermatitis, helminthic infection, and viral infections remains preclinical or indirect. Pharmacological plausibility is supported by anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities attributed to costunolide, dehydrocostus lactone, diosgenin, and related constituents. The dominant safety concern is adulteration with aristolochic acid-containing Aristolochia species, linked to nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity. Indian Costus is biologically plausible but hypothesis-generating rather than practice-changing. Pediatric use should not be recommended unless products are authenticated, standardized, and certified aristolochic-acid-free; pharmacokinetic studies and adequately powered randomized trials are required before clinical integration.
Abstract:Export-oriented markets increasingly require verifiable movement histories from smallholder aggregators. A permissioned ledger pilot linked ear-tag events, transport waybills, and abattoir inspection outcomes across three cooperative clusters. Participating buyers reported faster dispute resolution on lot mixing, while farmers valued tamper-evident vaccination logs; infrastructure gaps in rural connectivity remain the primary barrier to daily data entry.
Abstract:Re-exposure of silage face to oxygen accelerates heating and mycotoxin risk in warm climates. Laboratory incubations of samples taken at zero, twelve, and twenty-four hours after partial-bag opening quantified temperature rise and yeast counts. Lactic acid bacteria inoculation at ensiling extended stable exposure time, but face management practices such as daily removal depth and sheeting proved equally influential in on-farm trials.
Abstract:Economic shocks interact with biological constraints when farmers decide which cows to retain. A discrete-choice experiment embedded in a survey of Norwegian and Lithuanian dairy producers elicited stated culling rules under hypothetical price scenarios. Loss-averse respondents delayed culling of high-yielding cows with chronic mastitis history, whereas profit-maximizing profiles aligned more closely with recommended parity-based replacement models.
Abstract:Frequent weight gain monitoring supports feed allocation and market timing but manual weighing stresses animals. A prototype platform integrating four load cells beneath a short race was validated against chute weights for steers over a ninety-day finishing period. Random-effects models show daily medians track individual growth curves with root mean square error under four kilograms when footing is kept dry and passage speed is controlled.
Abstract:Blanket intramammary dry-cow treatment is increasingly questioned under antimicrobial stewardship policies. Quarterly bulk-tank culture results and individual cow somatic cell count histories from forty-six herds were used to model predicted cure and new-infection risk. Selective protocols reduced antibiotic use by roughly one third without increasing clinical mastitis incidence during the subsequent lactation when farmer training emphasized culture interpretation.
Abstract:Declining rumination minutes often precede visible signs of heat stress when temperature-humidity index exceeds comfort thresholds. We linked collar time series with rectal temperature and respiration rate during two summer periods in a freestall herd equipped with sprinklers and fans. Machine-learning classifiers using rumination variance and drinking-bout frequency detected moderate stress episodes six to ten hours earlier than manual pen walks alone.
Abstract:Digital dermatitis remains a leading cause of lameness where slatted floors limit dry resting surfaces. Monthly lesion scores and pooled skin swabs from hind feet were analyzed with quantitative PCR for treponeme groups. M2 lesion prevalence correlated with treponeme load more strongly than with herd size, suggesting targeted topical protocols should follow lesion-stage monitoring rather than blanket treatment schedules.
Abstract:Early detection of subclinical ketosis limits milk loss and displaced abomasum risk. We compared handheld meter readings with laboratory serum concentrations in multiparous cows during the first three weeks postpartum across twelve commercial herds. Agreement within clinical decision thresholds was acceptable for herd-level screening when samples are collected before morning feeding, though repeat testing improves sensitivity for borderline animals.
Abstract:Intrauterine exposure to amphetamine-type stimulants—most notably methamphetamine—constitutes a developmentally relevant neurotoxic insult with long-lasting consequences for cognition. Both amphetamine and its methylated analogue act on monoamine signaling, maternal cardiovascular function, perfusion of the placenta, and the maturation trajectory of the fetal brain. Convergent findings from longitudinal human cohorts, brain imaging investigations, and experimental animal work indicate that being exposed to methamphetamine before birth tracks with restricted fetal growth, atypical newborn neurobehavior, disturbances within frontostriatal and limbic networks, and downstream weaknesses in attention, response inhibition, learning, memory, and executive control. Results vary between studies, in large part because gestational stimulant use rarely occurs in isolation—it tends to overlap with nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, social disadvantage, undernutrition, and adverse rearing environments. Even so, the accumulating literature points to multiple, interacting routes by which prenatal stimulant exposure may compromise offspring cognition: placental dysfunction, redox imbalance, neuroimmune activation, dysregulated monoamine systems, abnormal synapse formation, microstructural changes in white matter, and durable epigenetic shifts. Here we draw together the contemporary literature on prenatal amphetamine and methamphetamine exposure and the cognitive outcomes that follow, with attention to translational mechanisms, methodological hurdles, and where the field should head next. Stronger prospective cohorts, validated exposure biomarkers, analyses stratified by sex, integrated imaging-and-behavior designs, and early intervention trials will be essential to delineate causal pathways and to lessen the long-term neurodevelopmental toll.