Principles of miRNA/miRNA* function in plant MIRNA processing.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential regulators of gene expression, defined by their unique biogenesis, which requires the precise excision of the small RNA from an imperfect fold-back precursor. Unlike their animal counterparts, plant miRNA precursors exhibit variations in sizes and shapes. Plant MIRNAs can undergo processing in a base-to-loop or loop-to-base direction, with DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1) releasing the miRNA after two cuts (two-step MIRNAs) or more (sequential MIRNAs).

Arabidopsis AGO1 N-terminal extension acts as an essential hub for PRMT5 interaction and post-translational modifications.

Plant ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins play pivotal roles regulating gene expression through small RNA (sRNA) -guided mechanisms. Among the 10 AGO proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, AGO1 stands out as the main effector of post-transcriptional gene silencing. Intriguingly, a specific region of AGO1, its N-terminal extension (NTE), has garnered attention in recent studies due to its involvement in diverse regulatory functions, including subcellular localization, sRNA loading and interactions with regulatory factors.

The treatment of obesity in children and adolescents: consensus position statement of the Italian society of pediatric endocrinology and diabetology, Italian Society of Pediatrics and Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery.

This Position Statement updates the different components of the therapy of obesity (lifestyle intervention, drugs, and surgery) in children and adolescents, previously reported in the consensus position statement on pediatric obesity of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology and the Italian Society of Pediatrics. Lifestyle intervention is the first step of treatment. In children older than 12 years, pharmacotherapy is the second step, and bariatric surgery is the third one, in selected cases.

Is there an acceptable surrogate for caries clinical trials? Evidence from a systematic review of primary studies.

Background: There is currently a lack of evidence supporting the use of valid surrogates in caries clinical trials. This study aimed at examining the validity of two surrogate outcomes used in randomized clinical trials for caries prevention, pit and fissure sealants and fluoridated dentifrices, according to the Prentice criteria.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS and Scopus databases up to 05 October 2022.

Secondary Caries Detection and Treatment Decision according to Two Criteria and the Impact of a Three-Dimensional Intraoral Scanner on Gap Evaluation.

This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro performance in detecting caries around composite restorations in permanent posterior teeth and the impact of treatment decisions of two visual criteria: International Dental Federation (FDI) criteria and the Caries Associated with Restorations and Sealants (CARS) system. The correlation among secondary caries and the presence of gap measured with a three-dimensional (3D) intraoral scanner was also aimed. One hundred sixteen teeth were assessed by a trained and calibrated examiner according to the FDI criteria or CARS system.