Spatial genetic characterization of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the area between the Alps and the Central Dinaric Mountains.

Red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a globally distributed species characterized by its high adaptability to diverse habitats and a broad range of food resources. This remarkable adaptability has allowed the red fox to thrive in various environments, from urban areas to remote wilderness. In this study, we used a set of microsatellite markers for the comparative genetic analysis of red fox populations from two countries.

Molecular analysis of scats revealed diet and prey choice of grey wolves and Eurasian lynx in the contact zone between the Dinaric Mountains and the Alps.

A comprehensive understanding of the dietary habits of carnivores is essential to get ecological insights into their role in the ecosystem, potential competition with other carnivorous species, and their effect on prey populations. Genetic analysis of non-invasive samples, such as scats, can supplement behavioural or microscopic diet investigations. The objective of this study was to employ DNA metabarcoding to accurately determine the prey species in grey wolf (Canis lupus) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) scat samples collected in the Julian Alps and the Dinaric Mountains, Slovenia.

Population genetic structure of European wildcats inhabiting the area between the Dinaric Alps and the Scardo-Pindic mountains.

Habitat fragmentation and loss have contributed significantly to the demographic decline of European wildcat populations and hybridization with domestic cats poses a threat to the loss of genetic purity of the species. In this study we used microsatellite markers to analyse genetic variation and structure of the wildcat populations from the area between the Dinaric Alps and the Scardo-Pindic mountains in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia. We also investigated hybridisation between populations of wildcats and domestic cats in the area.

Pilot Study on Genetic Associations With Age-Related Sarcopenia.

Despite strong evidence of an inheritable component of muscle phenotypes, little progress has been made in identifying the specific genetic factors involved in the development of sarcopenia. Even rarer are studies that focus on predicting the risk of sarcopenia based on a genetic risk score. In the present study, we tested the single and combined effect of seven candidate gene variants on the risk of sarcopenia.

Genetic characterisation of wild ungulates: successful isolation and analysis of DNA from widely available bones can be cheap, fast and easy.

Genetic characterisation of wild ungulates can be a useful tool in wildlife management and in obtaining a greater understanding of their biological and ecological roles in a wider spatiotemporal context. Different ways of optimising methodologies and reducing the costs of genetic analyses using widely available bone tissues collected within regular hunting allocations were examined. Successful isolation and analysis of DNA from widely available bones can be cheap, fast and easy.

Effects of Elastic Resistance Training on Functional Performance and Myokines in Older Women-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To investigate the short- and long-term effects of elastic resistance training (ERT) on physical performance, inflammatory markers, and myokines in older women living in a nursing home.

Design: A randomized controlled trial, with 12 weeks of ERT intervention.

Setting And Participants: Nursing home.

Basis for Sarcopenia Screening With the SARC-CalF in Nursing Homes.

Background: Sarcopenia is a major health problem of the older population. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) developed diagnostic criteria for diagnosis of sarcopenia that require assessing muscle mass and strength or physical performance. Recently, however, a rapid screening method SARC-CalF was developed.

Morphological variability of pterion in the human skull.

The pterion is one of the most interesting bone meeting points in craniofacial osteology and its complex morphology derives from the fact that is the contact point of the facial skeletal elements, skull base and calvarium. Knowledge of its peculiar morphology is mandatory for the pterional approach used in microsurgery and surgery. The Authors studied 506 adult, human skulls where the pterion was accurately reconstructed on polyethylene sheets.

Extra-pancreatic action of glibenclamide in man: reduction in vitro of the inhibitory effect of glucagon and epinephrine on the hepatic key glycolytic enzymes phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase (PK).

Human liver slices (surgery biopsies) were preincubated with glucagon or epinephrine for 10 min at 37 degrees C in Krebs-Henseleit solution at pH 7.4, in the absence or presence of glibenclamide, and then homogenized and assayed for phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activity at subsaturating, near physiological, substrate concentrations (suitable for detecting regulatory effects). Preincubation with 10 microM glucagon (n = 7) or 10 microM epinephrine (n = 7) resulted in a reduction of PFK activity of 25% (P less than 0.