UNASSIGNED: Biological maturity and relative age player selection biases are well documented in youth sports. However, there has been limited examination of the relationship between these biases.
UNASSIGNED: This study investigated the presence, strength, and independence of relative age and biological maturity selection biases in Gaelic football.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 247 male players from U14 to U16, from two talent academies were assessed for relative age (decimal age (DA)) and biological maturity (discrepancy between biological and chronological age (BA-CA)).
UNASSIGNED: Relative age effects (RAE) were observed in the U14 (DA = 0.62, d = 0.40) and U15 squads (DA = 0.57. d = 0.26) only. A bias towards advanced maturity status was present at U14 (BA-CA = 0.60, d = 0.83), U15 (BA-CA = 0.78, d = 0.89), and U16 (BA-CA, d = 1.01). There was a trivial (U14, r(83) = -0.210; U15, r(88) = 0.060) and low (U16, r(76) = 0.352) correlation between relative age and maturity status.
UNASSIGNED: Substantial maturity selection biases and, to a lesser degree, relative age biases are evident in youth Gaelic football. Critically, these biases are independent constructs. Coaches and policy makers should be educated on the distinct influences of relative age and maturation, and on strategies to address these biases.

European hake, Merluccius merluccius L. 1758, is a highly valuable demersal fish species exploited in both the east Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Changes in the size-at-maturity of this species have been reported in various geographic areas. Size-at-maturity is a key parameter in fishery management. Our main goal was to study the trend of the size-at-maturity of European hake in the eastern Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean) over the last five decades. Utilizing a multi-decadal series of data for various environmental variables, we employed multivariate analyses and non-additive modeling in an attempt to identify shifts in the climatic environment of the eastern Ionian Sea and whether the maturation of the hake population could be affected by these changes. The analyses used suggest a plausible environmental regime shift in the study area in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The decrease in size-at-maturity that was detected in the last two decades may, thus, be associated with environmental changes. However, as many fish stocks already experience fishery-induced evolution, further investigation is necessary to determine whether this environmental effect is an additional stressor on a possibly already fishery-impacted population. The outcomes of this study highlight the importance of investigating the relationship between fish reproductive traits and altered environmental conditions, as the latter are generally ignored during assessments, affecting the robustness of fishery management.

Karthik DhandapaniEwing sarcoma arises in both bones (most common) and soft tissues and it commonly affects young adults. The tumor is composed of small round cells showing positivity for CD99 and FLI1 on immunohistochemistry (IHC). We describe ganglion cell differentiation post-chemotherapy in Ewing sarcoma which is a rare phenomenon. A 13-year-old girl presented with a chest wall mass. On biopsy correlating with IHC, the diagnosis was rendered as Ewing sarcoma. She underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by resection of the tumor. On microscopic evaluation, the tumor showed prominent ganglionic differentiation with expression of neuronal markers. Although maturation post-chemotherapy is an established finding with better prognosis in other primitive pediatric tumors, such neural differentiation is rare with only a few case reports in Ewing sarcoma both post- and pre-chemotherapy. Clinical significance and prognosis of such differentiation which appear to be better are not yet established and needs to be elucidated.

Legumes and cereals as staple food are typically consumed at mature stage, though also consumed at earlier stages. UPLC/MS based molecular networking and chemometrics were employed for the first time to address metabolome composition heterogeneity amongst seeds in the context of their maturity stages. The study included 4 major cereal and leguminous seeds of different species, and cultivars i.e., Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare, Vicia faba and Cicer arietinum. 146 Metabolites from various classes were identified of which several are first time to be reported. Supervised OPLS model of all datasets revealed that sugars and oxylipids were dominant in mature and immature seeds, respectively. DPPH and FRAP assays were assessed for differential secondary metabolites\' correlation. Results were attributed to flavonoids, oxylipids, and amino acids/peptides. Mature barley seeds possessed the strongest antioxidant activity among examined seeds. This study provides novel insights on seeds\' maturation process in context to holistic metabolic changes.

Angiogenesis is an essential process for correct development and physiology. This mechanism is tightly regulated by many signals that activate several pathways, which are constantly interacting with each other. There is mounting evidence that BMP9/ALK1 pathway is essential for a correct vessel maturation. Alterations in this pathway lead to the development of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasias. However, little was known about the BMP9 signalling cascade until the last years. Recent reports have shown that while BMP9 arrests cell cycle, it promotes the activation of anabolic pathways to enhance endothelial maturation. In light of this evidence, a new criterion for the classification of cytokines is proposed here, based on the physiological objective of the activation of anabolic routes. Whether this activation by a growth factor is needed to sustain mitosis or to promote a specific function such as matrix formation is a critical characteristic that needs to be considered to classify growth factors. Hence, the state-of-the-art of BMP9/ALK1 signalling is reviewed here, as well as its implications in normal and pathogenic angiogenesis.

Nevoid melanoma is a subtype of melanoma that histologically resembles a melanocytic nevus. Two subtypes have been proposed for nevoid melanoma, namely papillomatous and maturing. Here, we report the case of a 67-year-old woman who developed two nevoid melanomas on her scalp with composite histological features of papillomatous and maturing subtypes after electrocautery of a nearby solitary scalp papule. The histology of both lesions was very similar, papillary in shape, and both comprised two melanocyte populations, including large atypical melanocytes and small non-atypical melanocytes. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in one of the two lesions, which revealed a high mutation burden (17 mutations/megabase) with co-deletion of CDKN2A. Additional immunohistochemistry revealed that the large and small melanocytes in both lesions were completely negative for p16 and MTAP. A final diagnosis of nevoid melanoma was made. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a nevoid melanoma with both features of papillomatous and maturing subtypes. Pathologists should be aware of this subtype of melanoma to avoid misdiagnosis as a mitotically active melanocytic nevus. In this case, immunohistochemistry for p16 and MTAP, in addition to molecular analysis, helped in the final diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Nevi of special sites (NOSS) are benign melanocytic lesions that occur at particular sites. Although the histological features of NOSS have been described, their immunophenotypic features have not been fully characterized.
OBJECTIVE: To present the clinicopathological characteristics of a case series of NOSS and to characterize their immunohistochemical profile.
METHODS: Thirty-five NOSS were assessed using immunoperoxidase staining techniques for the melanocytic (S100, Melan-A, and HMB45) and proliferation (Ki-67) markers RESULTS: All of the cases of NOSS showed concerning architectural changes (prominent lentiginous melanocytic proliferation, irregularities, crowdedness, and dyhesiveness of the nests), and cytological atypia (large nevomelanocytes with vesicular nuclei, clear cytoplasm, and dusty melanin pigment) that can lead to a misdiagnosis of atypical nevi or even melanomas. All of the cases of NOSS showed diffuse expression of S100 and Melan-A proteins. Ki-67 labeling index of the nevomelanocytes was extremely low. HMB45 protein expression was limited to the junctional and superficial dermal nevomelanocytes.
CONCLUSIONS: NOSS can show histological features that can easily mimic atypical nevi or melanomas and this diagnostic consideration should be kept in mind to avoid their misdiagnosis. The expression of HMB45 protein in NOSS indicates that their nevomelanocytic cells have an activated phenotype. The decreased HMB45 protein expression following a gradient from junctional to deeper dermal localization in NOSS is indicative of their immunohistochemical maturation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess dental maturation in children with amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) and compare their estimated dental age with the age of non-AI children.
RESULTS: Panoramic radiographs of children with (n = 27) and without (n = 54) AI were retrospectively collected in the ratio of 1:2. The former consisted of case group, while the latter figured as control group. Both groups were paired by sex and age (P > .05). Dental maturation was assessed in each radiograph using Demirjian\'s staging technique and Willems\' method. Intra- and interexaminer reproducibility reached >0.8. The mean estimated dental age in subjects with AI was 12.5 ± 2.69 years, while in subjects without AI it was 11.73 ± 2.48 years (P = .21). The comparison of mean chronological (12.26 ± 2.6 years) and estimated dental age (12.5 ± 2.69 years) in subjects with AI did not reveal statistically significant differences (P = .38).
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the similarity of dental maturation between subjects with and without AI from the radiographic perspective of crown-root formation.

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We present a rare case of pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) with gangliocytic differentiation arising in the suprasellar/chiasmatic region in a young boy that showed a rapid regrowth after the 1st subtotal resection and \"differentiated\" into pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) in subsequent recurrences. The clinical course, imaging, and histological features have been described with a review of the literature. While PA is well-circumscribed, biphasic tumors with bipolar piloid cells, those arising in the diencephalic region often contain myxoid stroma, angiocentric pattern, and \"intermediate\" features between PA and PMA. Examples of PMA \"maturing\" to PA are also on record; however, PA with gangliocytic component differentiating to PMA has not been described in the literature to the best of our knowledge.