https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14178/904 2026-04-20T05:16:13Z 2026-04-20T05:16:13Z Michou, Vassiliki Prataviera, Angela Maria Michałowicz, Bartłomiej Tonar, Zbyněk https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14178/3738 2026-04-18T01:00:20Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

The ABC-LD@4EU+: enhanced version of the ABC Learning Design workshop tailored for the European University Alliance’s needs Michou, Vassiliki; Prataviera, Angela Maria; Michałowicz, Bartłomiej; Tonar, Zbyněk Young, Clive; Perović, Nataša; Havemann, Leo; Shackleford-Cesare, Karen The chapter shows how the 4EU+ Alliance adapted the original ABC Learning Design method for collaborative course design across eight European universities with different traditions, languages, and pedagogical cultures.Its main innovations were the addition of student workload, synchronous/asynchronous and on-campus/online dimensions to the cards and storyboard, together with a preparatory phase, a glossary of more than 60 terms, and new 4EU+ strategy cards.The authors conclude that ABC-LD@4EU+ became a practical and transferable model which, supported by tools such as Moodle, Draft.io, and Zoom, enables flexible, student-centred, and internationally shared course design.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Růžičková, Michaela Palkovičová, Jana Nesporova, Kristina Ryšavá, Markéta Pariža, René Krejci, Simon Literak, Ivan Dolejská, Monika https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14178/3737 2026-04-16T01:00:21Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

From ecology to evolution: plasmid- and colicin-mediated persistence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in gulls Růžičková, Michaela; Palkovičová, Jana; Nesporova, Kristina; Ryšavá, Markéta; Pariža, René; Krejci, Simon; Literak, Ivan; Dolejská, Monika Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildlife is an emerging concern within the One Health concept. Gulls, due to their synanthropic behavior and long-distance migration, are recognized as vectors and secondary reservoirs of resistant bacteria. These birds can facilitate the environmental spread of resistant strains across ecosystem boundaries. Understanding their role in shaping microbial communities is essential for assessing the broader ecological impact. This study investigates the persistence and competitive dynamics of cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli in Caspian gulls (Larus cachinnans) captured at their breeding colony at a water reservoir and subsequently monitored in captivity for three months, representing the longest in vivo experiment of its kind conducted on wild birds. We observed sustained colonization and long-term shedding of resistant E. coli throughout the entire study, marking the longest documented carriage of resistant bacteria in wild birds to date. Notably, rapid dissemination of various E. coli sequence types (STs) with CTX-M-1 was observed, with ST11138 rapidly outcompeting other strains, including the initially dominant ST11893. Genomic analyses revealed that ST11138 harboured F24:A-:B1 and IncI1/ST3/CTX-M-1 plasmids encoding colicins and corresponding immunity genes, likely conferring a competitive advantage. Our findings underscore the role of bacteriocin-mediated interactions in shaping microbial communities and highlight the importance of plasmid-encoded traits in the persistence of resistant strains in wildlife. Importantly, our findings underscore the ecological novelty of longitudinal in vivo tracking of AMR persistence in natural hosts and highlight the need to consider ecological and microbiome-level interactions when assessing the environmental dimension of AMR under the One Health concept.IMPORTANCEAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildlife is an emerging concern within the One Health framework, with gulls recognised as important vectors and secondary reservoirs of resistant bacteria. Due to their synanthropic behavior and long-distance migration, these birds can facilitate the spread of resistant strains across ecosystems. However, the role of wildlife in resistance dynamics remains underexplored, especially in long-term, natural settings. Our study is unique in its scope and duration, representing the longest in vivo experiment of its kind conducted on wild birds. By capturing these processes in live hosts under naturalistic conditions and across an extended period, our study provides rare and ecologically grounded insights into how AMR is maintained outside clinical or laboratory settings. Our findings show sustained colonisation and long-term shedding of resistant E. coli, with strain ST11138 outcompeting others. Genomic analyses reveal plasmid-encoded traits, highlighting the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying resistance maintenance in wildlife.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Ryšavá, Markéta Stredanska, Katarina Schwarzerova, Jana Jakubickova, Marketa Cejkova, Darina Aytan-Aktug, Derya Otani, Saria Dolejská, Monika Palkovičová, Jana https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14178/3735 2026-04-14T01:00:20Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dynamic changes in the plasmidome and resistome in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens Ryšavá, Markéta; Stredanska, Katarina; Schwarzerova, Jana; Jakubickova, Marketa; Cejkova, Darina; Aytan-Aktug, Derya; Otani, Saria; Dolejská, Monika; Palkovičová, Jana The expansion of intensive poultry farming has led to a substantial increase in antibiotic use, which, in turn, has promoted the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The chicken gut serves as a reservoir for these genes and provides favorable conditions for their horizontal transfer via mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids. Through this process, commensal bacteria can transfer ARGs to pathogens, facilitating their spread and increasing the risk of transmission to humans. In this study, long-read sequencing was used to characterize the plasmidome and resistome in 12 fecal samples from 3 houses of a commercial broiler chicken farm. All chickens received enrofloxacin in the first days of life, with one house additionally treated with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim combination. For comparison, metagenomic analysis using short-read sequencing was performed on the same samples. This study revealed the presence of various ARGs associated with resistance to 25 antibiotic classes. A strong genetic association between MOBP-type plasmids and fluoroquinolone resistance was observed within broiler chicken farms. Temporal trends indicated progressive mobilization of these ARGs, suggesting an increasing potential for horizontal gene transfer. While fluoroquinolone resistance expanded over time, diaminopyrimidine resistance remained stable despite the antibiotic treatment. Most ARGs were carried on small plasmids, and complete plasmid reconstructions ranged from 2.6 to 47.6 kb. Our findings demonstrate that plasmidome sequencing enables high-resolution detection of resistance-associated plasmids that may be overlooked by conventional metagenomic approaches. The observed patterns are consistent with an association between fluoroquinolone use in poultry farms and the presence of plasmid-mediated resistance genes with potential for horizontal dissemination.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Gil-Korilis, Adrián Ergui-Arbizu, Jorge Hanák, Petr Danešová, Natálie Tomášová, Kristýna Valíčková, Anna Horák, Josef Gentiluomo, Manuel Levý, Miroslav Křivonosková, Soňa Král, Jan Jungwirth, Jiří Vodičková, Ľudmila Vymetálková, Veronika Azqueta, Amaya Campa, Daniele Vodička, Pavel Vodenková, Soňa https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14178/3733 2026-04-14T01:00:14Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Unraveling the telomere-mitochondrial axis in colorectal cancer: Results from a prospectively followed cohort Gil-Korilis, Adrián; Ergui-Arbizu, Jorge; Hanák, Petr; Danešová, Natálie; Tomášová, Kristýna; Valíčková, Anna; Horák, Josef; Gentiluomo, Manuel; Levý, Miroslav; Křivonosková, Soňa; Král, Jan; Jungwirth, Jiří; Vodičková, Ľudmila; Vymetálková, Veronika; Azqueta, Amaya; Campa, Daniele; Vodička, Pavel; Vodenková, Soňa Background Telomere shortening and mitochondrial dysfunction are well-known independent contributors to many diseases, but emerging evidence suggests a reciprocal relationship between the two processes. The role of the so-called telomere-mitochondrial axis in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains largely unknown. Methods This prospective cohort study screened CRC patients who underwent surgery, from whom peripheral blood, intestinal mucosa, and tumor samples were collected. Colonoscopically confirmed cancer- and adenoma-free healthy individuals were screened as controls, from whom peripheral blood and intestinal mucosa samples were obtained. Relative mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and relative telomere length (RTL) were measured in all samples by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and were further compared and correlated considering clinical data. Relative mtDNA-CN was quantified using both TaqMan probes and SYBR Green to compare both methods. Finally, multivariable analyses were conducted to investigate the association between both biomarkers and the risk of tumor recurrence and mortality. Results A total of 166 CRC patients and 61 healthy individuals were included in the study. In TNM stage I patients, relative mtDNA-CN and RTL were negatively correlated with each other in intestinal mucosa (ρ = -0.77, p < 0.0001), tumor tissue (ρ = -0.41, p = 0.032), and the tumor-to-intestinal mucosa ratio (ρ = -0.39, p = 0.046). However, these associations disappeared with increasing TNM stage, suggesting a dysregulation of the telomere-mitochondrial axis in advanced disease. Higher relative mtDNA-CN in blood was associated with a lower risk of disease recurrence even after adjusting for multiple covariates (HR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.20-0.97, p = 0.041), highlighting its potential use as a prognostic tool. The quantification of mtDNA-CN performed by both methods -TaqMan probes and SYBR Green- was shown to be positively correlated (p < 0.01). Relative mtDNA-CN and RTL were found to be tissue-dependent in both CRC patients and healthy controls. Conclusions This study provides a novel contribution to the understanding of the almost unexplored telomere-mitochondrial axis in CRC, highlighting its potential role in disease progression and prognosis.

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