The planktonic freshwater ciliate Balanion planctonicum (Ciliophora, Prostomatea): A cryptic species complex or a "complex species"?

The globally distributed ciliate Balanion planctonicum is a primary consumer of phytoplankton spring blooms. Due to its small size (~20 μm), identification and quantification by molecular tools is preferable as an alternative to the laborious counting of specimen in quantitative protargol stains. However, previous sequencing of the 18S rDNA V9 region of B.

Spatially restricted and ontogenically distinct hepatic macrophages are required for tissue repair.

Our understanding of the functional heterogeneity of resident versus recruited macrophages in the diseased liver is limited. A population of recruited lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs) has been reported to populate the diseased liver alongside resident Kupffer cells (KCs). However, the precise roles of these distinct macrophage subsets remain elusive.

The associations of long-term physical activity in adulthood with later biological ageing and all-cause mortality - a prospective twin study.

Objectives: The association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and a lower risk of mortality is susceptible to bias from multiple sources. We investigated the potential of biological ageing to mediate the association between long-term LTPA and mortality and whether the methods used to account for reverse causality affect the interpretation of this association.

Methods: Study participants were twins from the older Finnish Twin Cohort (n = 22,750; 18-50 years at baseline).

Impact of distance from liver transplant centre on outcomes following liver transplantation: an Australian single-centre study.

Background: Access to liver transplantation (LT) is affected by geographic disparities. Higher waitlist mortality is observed in patients residing farther from LT centres, but the impact of distance on post-LT outcomes is unclear.

Aims: To evaluate whether the distance LT recipients reside from their LT centre affects graft and patient outcomes.

Conceptualising, operationalising and utilising equity, diversity and inclusion in clinical trials: a scoping review.

Introduction: Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are social constructs which when used in clinical trials help generate the highest quality evidence for interventions in the populations most likely to benefit. However, the incorporation of these constructs in clinical trials is unclear and inconsistent. This scoping review sought to understand how EDI is applied in clinical trials.