The origin and morphological character evolution of the paleotropical woody bamboos.

The woody bamboos (Bambusoideae) exhibit distinctive biological traits within Poaceae, such as highly lignified culms, rapid shoot growth, monocarpic mass flowering and nutlike or fleshy caryopses. Much of the remarkable morphological diversity across the subfamily exists within a single hexaploid clade, the paleotropical woody bamboos (PWB), making it ideal to investigate the factors underlying morphological evolution in woody bamboos. However, the origin and biogeographical history of PWB remain elusive, as does the effect of environmental factors on the evolution of their morphological characters.

Phylogenomic analysis reveals five independently evolved African forage grass clades in the genus Urochloa.

Background And Aims: The grass genus Urochloa (Brachiaria) sensu lato includes forage crops that are important for beef and dairy industries in tropical and sub-tropical Africa, South America and Oceania/Australia. Economically important species include U. brizantha, U.

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa's major land uses.

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species' population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate 'intactness scores': the remaining proportion of an 'intact' reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region's major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.

Gene Mutations: Implications for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes.

Malignant neoplasms, including pancreatic cancer and melanoma, are major global health challenges. This study investigates melanoma pancreatic syndrome, a rare hereditary tumor syndrome associated with gene mutations. mutations contribute to a lifetime risk of melanoma ranging from 28% to 67%.

Global analysis of Poales diversification - parallel evolution in space and time into open and closed habitats.

Poales are one of the most species-rich, ecologically and economically important orders of plants and often characterise open habitats, enabled by unique suites of traits. We test six hypotheses regarding the evolution and assembly of Poales in open and closed habitats throughout the world, and examine whether diversification patterns demonstrate parallel evolution. We sampled 42% of Poales species and obtained taxonomic and biogeographic data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants database, which was combined with open/closed habitat data scored by taxonomic experts.

The Gene Germline Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants in Russian Patients with Malignant Neoplasms and Healthy Carriers: 11,800 WGS Results.

More than 275 million people in the world are carriers of a heterozygous mutation of the gene, associated with cystic fibrosis, the most common autosomal recessive disease among Caucasians. Some recent studies assessed the association between carriers of variants and some pathologies, including cancer risk. The aim of this study is to analyze the landscape of germline pathogenic heterozygous variants in patients with diagnosed malignant neoplasms.

Denosumab for osteoporosis in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and mild-to-moderate renal insufficiency.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of denosumab in postmenopausal women with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT)-related osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: Women over 50 years of age with PHPT or postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) were retrospectively recruited into this longitudinal study. These PHPT and PMO groups were further categorized into subgroups based on the presence of CKD (Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 mL/min/1.

New insights into intergeneric relationships of Hickeliinae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) revealed by complete plastid genomes.

The Hickeliinae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) is an ecologically and economically significant subtribe of tropical bamboos restricted to Madagascar, Comoros, Reunion Island, and a small part of continental Africa (Tanzania). Because these bamboos rarely flower, field identification is challenging, and inferring the evolutionary history of Hickeliinae from herbarium specimens is even more so. Molecular phylogenetic work is critical to understanding this group of bamboos.

Models of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia for Gene Therapies Testing.

The adrenal glands are important endocrine organs that play a major role in the stress response. Some adrenal glands abnormalities are treated with hormone replacement therapy, which does not address physiological requirements. Modern technologies make it possible to develop gene therapy drugs that can completely cure diseases caused by mutations in specific genes.

Characterizing and Quenching Autofluorescence in Fixed Mouse Adrenal Cortex Tissue.

Tissue autofluorescence of fixed tissue sections is a major concern of fluorescence microscopy. The adrenal cortex emits intense intrinsic fluorescence that interferes with signals from fluorescent labels, resulting in poor-quality images and complicating data analysis. We used confocal scanning laser microscopy imaging and lambda scanning to characterize the mouse adrenal cortex autofluorescence.

Madagascar's extraordinary biodiversity: Threats and opportunities.

Madagascar's unique biota is heavily affected by human activity and is under intense threat. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the conservation status of Madagascar's terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by presenting data and analyses on documented and predicted species-level conservation statuses, the most prevalent and relevant threats, ex situ collections and programs, and the coverage and comprehensiveness of protected areas. The existing terrestrial protected area network in Madagascar covers 10.

A Unique Observation of a Patient with Vulto-van Silfhout-de Vries Syndrome.

Introduction: Vulto-van Silfhout-de Vries Syndrome (VSVS; OMIM#615828) is a rare hereditary disease associated with impaired intellectual development and speech, delayed psychomotor development, and behavioral anomalies, including autistic behavioral traits and poor eye contact. To date, 27 patients with VSVS have been reported in the literature. Materials and Methods: We describe a 23-year-old male patient with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who was admitted to the gastroenterological hospital with signs of pseudomembranous colitis.

Intracellular Localization and Gene Expression Analysis Provides New Insights on LEA Proteins' Diversity in Anhydrobiotic Cell Line.

Anhydrobiosis, an adaptive ability to withstand complete desiccation, in the nonbiting midge , is associated with the emergence of new multimember gene families, including a group of 27 genes of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins (). To obtain new insights into the possible functional specialization of these genes, we investigated the expression and localization of genes in a -derived cell line (Pv11), capable of anhydrobiosis. We confirmed that all but two genes identified in the genome of are expressed in Pv11 cells.

Viral Membrane Fusion Proteins and RNA Sorting Mechanisms for the Molecular Delivery by Exosomes.

The advancement of precision medicine critically depends on the robustness and specificity of the carriers used for the targeted delivery of effector molecules in the human body. Numerous nanocarriers have been explored in vivo, to ensure the precise delivery of molecular cargos via tissue-specific targeting, including the endocrine part of the pancreas, thyroid, and adrenal glands. However, even after reaching the target organ, the cargo-carrying vehicle needs to enter the cell and then escape lysosomal destruction.

Circulating Plasma MicroRNA in Patients With Active Acromegaly.

Context: Excessive production of growth hormone causes marked multiorgan changes in patients with acromegaly, which may involve epigenetic mechanisms.

Objective: To evaluate differences in circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with chronic growth hormone overproduction in adults.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at a tertiary medical center.

Life-On-Hold: Lanthanoids Rapidly Induce a Reversible Ametabolic State in Mammalian Cells.

Until now, the ability to reversibly halt cellular processes has been limited to cryopreservation and several forms of anabiosis observed in living organisms. In this paper we show that incubation of living cells with a solution containing ~50 mM neodymium induces a rapid shutdown of intracellular organelle movement and all other evidence of active metabolism. We have named this state REEbernation (derived from the terms REE (rare earth elements) and hibernation) and found that the process involves a rapid replacement of calcium with neodymium in membranes and organelles of a cell, allowing it to maintain its shape and membrane integrity under extreme conditions, such as low pressure.

Single-cell transcriptomics of human embryos identifies multiple sympathoblast lineages with potential implications for neuroblastoma origin.

Characterization of the progression of cellular states during human embryogenesis can provide insights into the origin of pediatric diseases. We examined the transcriptional states of neural crest- and mesoderm-derived lineages differentiating into adrenal glands, kidneys, endothelium and hematopoietic tissue between post-conception weeks 6 and 14 of human development. Our results reveal transitions connecting the intermediate mesoderm and progenitors of organ primordia, the hematopoietic system and endothelial subtypes.