Low-input breeding potential in stone pine, a multipurpose forest tree with low genome diversity.

Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) is an emblematic tree species within the Mediterranean basin, with high ecological and economic relevance due to the production of edible nuts. Breeding programmes to improve pine nut production started decades ago in Southern Europe but have been hindered by the near absence of polymorphisms in the species genome and the lack of suitable genomic tools.

Chemo-Selective Transformation of Anthracene Derivative within Water-Soluble Coordination Cages Having Different Cavities.

Coordination cages with specific properties and functionalities are utilized as reaction vessels for the desired chemical transformation of substrates. The symmetry and inherent cavity of coordination cages can influence the host-guest interactions and the reaction outcome in their confined space. However, the impact of the cage shape on different transformations remains unclear.

UnifiedGreatMod: A New Holistic Modelling Paradigm for Studying Biological Systems on a Complete and Harmonious Scale.

Motivation: Computational models are crucial for addressing critical questions about systems evolution and deciphering system connections. The pivotal feature of making this concept recognisable from the biological and clinical community is the possibility of quickly inspecting the whole system, bearing in mind the different granularity levels of its components. This holistic view of system behaviour expands the evolution study by identifying the heterogeneous behaviours applicable, for example, to the cancer evolution study.

Sex-related differences in systemic inflammatory response and outcomes after cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass.

Objectives: Differences in inflammatory responses between men and women may contribute to sex disparities in cardiac surgery outcomes. We investigated how sex differences influence systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery.

Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing cardiac surgery from 2018 to 2020 was performed.

Atrial fibrillation burden in clinical practice, research, and technology development: a clinical consensus statement of the European Society of Cardiology Council on Stroke and the European Heart Rhythm Association.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common cardiac diseases and a complicating comorbidity for multiple associated diseases. Many clinical decisions regarding AF are currently based on the binary recognition of AF being present or absent with the categorical appraisal of AF as continued or intermittent. Assessment of AF in clinical trials is largely limited to the time to (first) detection of an AF episode.

Left ventricular-arterial coupling and mortality in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC) refers to the ratio of afterload (effective arterial elastance) to contractility (end-systolic elastance) as an integrated marker of cardiac performance. We sought to determine whether the echocardiographic VAC ratio, defined using the ratio of LV end-systolic volume (LVESV) to stroke volume (SV), predicted mortality in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU).

Methods: Mayo Clinic CICU patients from 2007 and 2018 were included.

Synaptic-dependent developmental dysconnectivity in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion increases the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia. Disruption of large-scale functional connectivity in 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) has been widely reported, but the biological factors driving these changes remain unclear.

FcrX coordinates cell cycle and division during free-living growth and symbiosis by a ClpXP-dependent mechanism.

is a soil bacterium that establishes a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis within root nodules of legumes. In this symbiosis, undergoes a drastic cellular change leading to a terminally differentiated form, called bacteroid, characterized by genome endoreduplication, increased cell size, and high membrane permeability. Bacterial cell cycle (mis)regulation is at the heart of this differentiation process.

Brain-wide dynamic coactivation states code for hand movements in the resting state.

Resting brain activity, in the absence of explicit tasks, appears as distributed spatiotemporal patterns that reflect structural connectivity and correlate with behavioral traits. However, its role in shaping behavior remains unclear. Recent evidence shows that resting-state spatial patterns not only align with task-evoked topographies but also encode distinct visual (e.

SOS1 inhibitor BI-3406 shows in vivo antitumor activity akin to genetic ablation and synergizes with a KRAS inhibitor in KRAS LUAD.

We evaluated the in vivo therapeutic efficacy and tolerability of BI-3406-mediated pharmacological inhibition of SOS1 in comparison to genetic ablation of this universal Ras-GEF in various KRAS-dependent experimental tumor settings. Contrary to the rapid lethality caused by SOS1 genetic ablation in SOS2 mice, SOS1 pharmacological inhibition by its specific inhibitor BI-3406 did not significantly affect animal weight/viability nor cause noteworthy systemic toxicity. Allograft assays using different KRAS cell lines showed that treatment with BI-3406 impaired RAS activation and RAS downstream signaling and decreased tumor burden and disease progression as a result of both tumor-intrinsic and -extrinsic therapeutic effects of the drug.

The role of excitations in supercooled liquids: Density, geometry, and relaxation dynamics.

Low-energy excitations play a key role in all condensed-matter systems, yet there is limited understanding of their nature in glasses, where they correspond to local rearrangements of groups of particles. Here, we introduce an algorithm to systematically uncover these excitations up to the activation energy scale relevant to structural relaxation. We use it in a model system to measure the density of states on a scale never achieved before, confirming that this quantity shifts to higher energy under cooling, precisely as the activation energy does.

Virulence profile of pathogenic yeasts from snakes: Alternative ways for antifungal strategies.

Reptiles may act as reservoirs or spreaders of potential pathogenic microorganisms including Candida yeasts. While the epidemiology of yeast species has been thoroughly studied, the virulence profile of isolated species is not well investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the haemolytic, phospholipase, lipase activities and biofilm formation of yeasts isolated from the cloacal swabs of venomous snakes from Marrakech, Morocco (Group I, n = 40) and from non-venomous snakes from Cocullo, Italy (Group II, n = 32).

Current Approaches in the Classification of PFAS: An Overview.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a broad group of synthetic chemicals that have raised concerns related to their long-term environmental persistence and potential health risks. Although several efforts have been dedicated to establishing international restrictions on their use, the definition of what qualifies as a PFAS remains a matter of debate among scientists, regulatory agencies, and industry. This article provides a brief overview of the different approaches proposed and adopted to date for identifying and grouping of these pollutants, either based on common structural motifs or on the combination of multiple factors, including functional uses, degradation behavior, physicochemical properties, and toxicity.

Cerebellocerebral connectivity predicts body mass index: a new open-source Python-based framework for connectome-based predictive modeling.

Background: The cerebellum is one of the major central nervous structures consistently altered in obesity. Its role in higher cognitive function, parts of which are affected by obesity, is mediated through projections to and from the cerebral cortex. We therefore investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cerebellocerebral connectivity.

Using Large Language Models in the Diagnosis of Acute Cholecystitis: Assessing Accuracy and Guidelines Compliance.

BackgroundLarge language models (LLMs) are advanced tools capable of understanding and generating human-like text. This study evaluated the accuracy of several commercial LLMs in addressing clinical questions related to diagnosis and management of acute cholecystitis, as outlined in the Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18). We assessed their congruence with the expert panel discussions presented in the guidelines.

Systemic lupus erythematosus: one year in review 2025.

This review highlights key advancements in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) research during 2024, covering pathogenesis, novel therapies, biomarkers, and clinical outcomes. Notable findings include new insights into immune dysregulation, promising therapeutic targets, and real-world data confirming the efficacy of anifrolumab and belimumab. Advances in biomarkers enhance disease monitoring, while multidisciplinary approaches improve reproductive outcomes and quality of life.

Individualized Hyaluronidase-Facilitated Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin 10% Administration in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy: The Nurse's Role.

Hyaluronidase-facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) 10% offers potential improvements in patient independence and tolerability versus intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) when used for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). fSCIG 10% also requires less frequent infusions and fewer infusion sites than conventional subcutaneous immunoglobulin (subcutaneous immunoglobulin without hyaluronidase). The ADVANCE-CIDP 1 study demonstrated fSCIG 10% efficacy and safety in preventing CIDP relapse and positive responses from patients in terms of satisfaction and treatment preference.

Hemoadsorption and plasma adsorption: two current options for the 3rd dimension of dialysis purification.

The adsorption technique has opened a new frontier in the field of purification through hemodialysis. This technique has proved to be effective in removing uremic toxins previously deemed inaccessible due to their size or charge, as well as to their molecular interactions with blood proteins. In this context, this review provides a detailed explanation of the role of Polyester-polymer alloy (PEPA®) membranes and hemodiafiltration with endogenous reinfusion.

Safety of intravitreal injections with the mobile laminar airflow device Operio after more than 10.000 injections.

Purpose: To evaluate the occurrence of complications following intravitreal injections (IVIs) performed in an outpatient clean room (OCR) equipped with the mobile laminar airflow device (LAF) Operio.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the data of 10,016 IVIs performed in an OCR from April 2023 to November 2024. All information of each patient was registered, such as diagnosis, drug injected and any occurring complication or adverse events such as endophthalmitis, intraocular inflammation, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), vitreous hemorrhages and elevated intraocular pressure.

Neglected Microbes in Floral Nectar: Influence of Filamentous Fungi on Nectar Scent and Parasitoid Olfactory Responses.

Floral nectar is a sugar-rich resource which is ubiquitously inhabited by a wide array of microorganisms. Fermentation by nectar-inhabiting microbes can alter several nectar traits, including nectar scent, via changes in the blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although there is growing evidence on how yeasts and bacteria influence the foraging behavior of flower-visiting insects, the potential role of other microbial taxa that can colonize nectar has been largely neglected.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy or targeted therapy: a screenshot from Italy on behalf of the Italian Association of Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy (AIRO).

Aim: Despite the widespread use of immunotherapy (IO) and targeted therapy (TT) in clinical practice, data on toxicity in combination with SBRT are lacking, largely based on retrospective studies and case reports. The present survey, conducted within the AIRO Oligometastatic Study Group, was developed for radiation oncologists to investigate the current clinical practice in Italy regarding hypofractionated SBRT (defined as a dose/fraction ≥ 5 Gy) in cancer patients using IO and TT.

Methods: The online survey, composed of 19 questions, was developed using the cloud-based platform SurveyMonkey® and was sent to all registered AIRO members using the association's mailing list and was administered online and in anonymous form.