Exposed weapons: A revised reconstruction of the facial anatomy and life appearance of the saber-toothed cat Megantereon (Felidae, Machairodontinae).

Megantereon was a widespread saber-toothed felid from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Old World and North America, but its rarity in the fossil record makes it complicated to restore its life appearance. Lack of complete specimens makes it necessary to combine information from fossils of different individuals to reconstruct their facial anatomy. In this work, we combine the analysis of skulls and mandibles of Megantereon from various fossil sites with the study of extant carnivorans through dissection, 3D scans, and the observation of live individuals.

Characterization of Feline Basophils on the Sysmex XN-1000V and Evaluation of a New WDF Gating Profile.

The Sysmex XN-1000V provides a percentage and concentration of basophils from the WNR scattergram, as for human samples, but this method has been shown to be irrelevant in cats. This study aimed to characterize the feline basophil distribution on the WDF channel and to preliminarily evaluate the performance of a new basophil gate on the WDF channel. Cases of feline basophilia were retrospectively retrieved and the scattergram from the WDF and WNR channels were evaluated for any consistent pattern.

Controlled dietary phosphate loading in healthy young men elevates plasma phosphate and FGF23 levels.

Increased dietary inorganic phosphate (P) intake stimulates renal P excretion, in part, by parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) or dopamine. High dietary P may also stimulate sympathetic outflow. Rodent studies provided evidence for these regulatory loops, while controlled experiments in healthy humans examined periods of either a few hours or several weeks, and often varied dietary calcium intake.