Somatic growth in vertebrates is regulated endocrinologically by the somatotropic axis, headed by the growth hormone (GH) and the insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I). Somatostatin (Sst), a peptide hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus, modulates GH actions through its receptors (Sstr). Four Sstr subtypes (Sstr 1-3 and 5) have been identified in teleosts. However, little is known about whether they have a specific function or tissue expression. The aim of this study was to determine the role of sstr2 and sstr5 in the growth of the medaka (Oryzias latipes). The assessed expression pattern across diverse tissues highlighted greater prevalence of sstr1 and sstr3 in brain, intestine and muscle than in pituitary or liver. The expression of sstr2 was high in all the tissues tested, while sstr5 was predominantly expressed in the pituitary gland. A CRISPR/Cas9 sstr5 mutant with loss of function (sstr5-/-) was produced. Assessment of sstr5-/- indicated no significant difference with the wild type regarding growth parameters such as standard length, body depth, or peduncle depth. Furthermore, the functional loss of sstr5 had no impact on the response to a nutritional challenge. The fact that several sstr subtypes were upregulated in different tissues in sstr5-/- medaka suggests that in the mutant fish, there may be a compensatory effect on the different tissues, predominantly by sstr1 in the liver, brain and pituitary, with sstr2 being upregulated in pituitary and liver, and sstr3 only presenting differential expression in the brain. Analysis of the sstr subtype and the sstr5-/- fish showed that sstr5 was not the only somatostatin receptor responsible for Sst-mediated Gh regulation.

BACKGROUND: Glandular trichomes, often referred to as \"phytochemical factories\", plays a crucial role in plant growth and metabolism. As the site for secretion and storage, the development of glandular trichomes is related to the dynamic biosynthesis of specialised metabolites. The study aims to explore the relationship between spatial phenotype and dynamic metabolism of glandular trichomes, and establish a novel approach for the exploration and study of the regulatory mechanism governing the development of glandular trichomes.
RESULTS: In this study, we proposed a technical route based on the relative deviation value to distinguish the peltate glandular trichomes (PGTs) from the background tissues and extract their spatial phenotype. By defining glandular trichome developmental stages based on the leaf vein growth axis, we found that young PGTs were densely distributed near the proximal end of growth axis of the leaf veins, where perillaketone, a primary metabolite of PGTs, is predominantly accumulated. Conversely, mature PGTs are typically found near the distal end of the mid-vein growth axis and the lateral end of the secondary vein growth axis, where the accumulation rate of isoegomaketone and egomaketone exceeds that of perillaketone in PGTs. We further identified spatial phenotypic parameters, Lsum and d, as independent variables to construct a linear regression model that illustrates the relationship between the spatial phenotypes and metabolite content of PGTs, including perillaketone (R2 = 0.698), egomaketone (R2 = 0.593), isoegomaketone (R2 = 0.662) and the sum of the amount (R2 = 0.773).
CONCLUSIONS: This model proved that the development of PGTs was correlated with the growth of the entire leaf, and the development stage of PGTs can be identifined by spatial phenotypes based on the leaf veins. In conclusion, the findings of this study enhance our understanding of correlation between spatial phenotype and development of glandular trichomes and offer a new approach to explore and study the regulatory mechanism of glandular trichome development.

UNASSIGNED: The objective of the study is to evaluate the orthodontic treatment effect on maxillary incisors\' inclination relative to facial and growth axes in adult subjects.
UNASSIGNED: Hundred consecutive nongrowing orthodontic patients with an average age of 26.24 ± 9.29 years were selected, and their T1 (initial) and T2 (final) lateral cephalograms were digitized. Cephalometric maxillary incisors\' (I) inclination was measured to SN, PP, NA, NBa, and true horizontal (H). Facial and growth axes\' inclinations were measured relative to NBa and H. Associations were tested using Chi-square tests for categorical data. Paired sample t-tests and Pearson\'s correlation were computed for continuous data.
UNASSIGNED: Maxillary incisors\' inclination, MP/SN, and ANB angle did not show statistically significant differences between T1 and T2, while mandibular incisors\' inclination and interincisal angle increased significantly (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). Facial and growth axes increased at T2 but changes were not statistically significant among the two groups. At T1, correlations between maxillary incisors\' inclination and facial/growth axes were not statistically significant. Similarly, correlations between MP/SN and ANB angles on the one hand and facial/growth axes on the another hand were not statistically significant. At T2, I/PP correlated significantly with facial axis (FA)/NBa (r = 0.308; P = 0.002) and with FA/H (r = 0.268; P = 0.007). Similarly, I/SN and I/NBa correlated significantly with FA/NBa (r = 0.399; P < 0.0001 and r = 0.422; P < 0.0001 correspondingly) and with FA/H (r = 0.305; P = 0.002 and r = 0.325; P = 0.001 correspondingly). Statistically significant negative correlations existed between MP/SN angle and facial/growth axes at T2 (r values ranging -0.704 to -0.409 at P < 0.0001).
UNASSIGNED: While there was no correlation between I and facial/growth axes at pretreatment, significant and higher correlations existed at the end of the orthodontic treatment. This association reflects the connection between the corrected posttreatment position of maxillary incisors relative to the corresponding vertical pattern. Therefore, orthodontists should evaluate the position of the maxillary incisors to FA and may consider it in their treatment objectives.

The engineered STb-Rosetta Escherichia coli (STb-R) was designed to investigate the effects of Iturin A on the skeletal muscle growth of weaned piglets. A total of 28 piglets were randomly divided into 4 groups (7 piglets per group): the control group (100 mL PBS), the Iturin A group (100 mL 320 mg/kg body weight (BW) Iturin A), the STb-R group (100 mL 1 × 1010 CFU/mL STb-R), and the Iturin A + STb-R group (100 mL 320 mg/kg BW Iturin A + 1 × 1010 CFU/mL STb-R). Compared with the control, STb-R-reduced body weight gain were rescued by Iturin A. The semimembranosus muscle weight recovered to normal level in the Iturin A + STb-R group. The level of relevant genes of the growth axis were elevated by Iturin A, including GHRH in the hypothalamus, GHRHR and GH in the pituitary, and GHR, IGF-1 and IGF-1R in the semimembranosus muscle. Moreover, Iturin A increased the mean fiber area and the number of proliferating cells in the semimembranosus muscle, which were decreased by STb-R. Additionally, the mTORC1 pathway was reactivated by Iturin A to relieve the suppression of STb-R. Collectively, the hypothalamic-pituitary growth axis-mediated Iturin A reactivated the mTORC1 pathway to rescue STb-R-restricted pork skeletal muscle growth.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, in an adult population, the effect of orthodontic treatment on the inclination of maxillary incisors, facial, and growth axes in different mandibular divergence pattern. In addition, we aimed to determine if there is an association between the inclination of the maxillary incisors and facial and growth axes and if this association will change after orthodontic treatment.
METHODS: Two-hundred and thirty-eight consecutive lateral cephalograms (119 at T1 and 119 at T2) of adult patients with an average age of 26.45 ± 9.11 years at T1 and 29.58 ± 9.36 at T2 were selected and digitized. Cephalometric maxillary incisors (I) inclination was measured to cranial base (SN), palatal plane (PP), nasion-A point (NA), nasion-basion (NBa), and true horizontal (H). Facial (FA) and growth (GA) axes\' inclinations were measured relative to NBa and H. The sample was stratified in three subgroups based on cephalometric mandibular divergence to anterior SN (MP/SN). A-Hypodivergent = MP/SN ≤27° (n = 28); B-Normodivergent = 27 < MP/SN < 37° (n = 49); C-Hyperdivergent = MP/SN ≥37° (n = 42). Associations were tested using Chi-square tests for categorical data. Paired sample t-tests and Pearson\'s correlation were computed for continuous data.
RESULTS: At T1, there was a tendency to have more proclined I in group A (I/SN = 105.59 ± 10.8°) and more retroclined in group C (I/SN = 99.06 ± 12.04°) with no statistical significance. However, at T2, maxillary incisors were statistically significant different between groups A and C (p = 0.002). Pre-treatment FA and GA were statistically significantly different among the three divergence groups (p <0.0001) with more increased angles in the group A (FA/Nba = 92.77 ± 5.07°) vs group C (FA/Nba = 86.28 ± 5.08°). This angle increases around 2° on average at posttreatment assessment (group A-p = 0.033; group B-p = 0.002). Correlations between I and facial/growth axes were not statistically significant at T1, whereas at T2 those correlations were higher and statistically significant between I/PP to FA/NBa (r = 0.408; p ≤0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Correlations between the maxillary incisors\' inclination and the facial/growth axes were not statistically significant initially whereas after orthodontic treatment, those correlations were higher and statistically significant. Differences in FA existed between pre- and postorthodontic groups in all divergence groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontists should assess the inclination of the maxillary incisors, not only to the maxilla and anterior SN but also to FA and take it into consideration in their treatment objectives.

Hormones control the major biological functions of stress response, growth, metabolism, and reproduction. In animals, these hormones show pronounced seasonality, with different set-points for different seasons. In humans, the seasonality of these hormones remains unclear, due to a lack of datasets large enough to discern common patterns and cover all hormones. Here, we analyze an Israeli health record on 46 million person-years, including millions of hormone blood tests. We find clear seasonal patterns: The effector hormones peak in winter-spring, whereas most of their upstream regulating pituitary hormones peak only months later, in summer. This delay of months is unexpected because known delays in the hormone circuits last hours. We explain the precise delays and amplitudes by proposing and testing a mechanism for the circannual clock: The gland masses grow with a timescale of months due to trophic effects of the hormones, generating a feedback circuit with a natural frequency of about a year that can entrain to the seasons. Thus, humans may show coordinated seasonal set-points with a winter-spring peak in the growth, stress, metabolism, and reproduction axes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclination of the maxillary incisors (I), facial axis (FA), and growth axis (GA) in different vertical and sagittal patterns.
METHODS: A total of 498 consecutive orthodontic patients, with an average age of 18.87 years (range = 5-63 years), were grouped based on their vertical and sagittal patterns. Maxillary incisors, FA, and GA axes were traced and their corresponding angles to nasion-basion and true horizontal lines were measured. The sample was divided into three groups based on the mandibular divergence (mandibular plane-MP/sella-nasion [SN]): Group 1-hypodivergent pattern (MP/SN ≤ 27; n = 30), Group 2-normodivergent pattern (27 < MP/SN <37; n = 254), and Group 3-hyperdivergent pattern (MP/SN ≥ 37; n = 214); the sample was then divided into three groups based on the sagittal pattern (ANB, angle between points A, Nasion and B): Group I-skeletal CLI (Class I) (0 RESULTS: FA/nasion-basion (NBa) and GA/NBa were different among the vertical groups (P < 0.001). FA/NBa was found significantly different in the sagittal groups, whereas GA/NBa was only different between CLII and CLIII groups. Compensation in maxillary incisors\' inclination was present in the sagittal groups, but not in the vertical ones. CLI patients when stratified in vertical groups showed FA/NBa and GA/NBa to be different across the three vertical groups.
CONCLUSIONS: FA/NBa was found different in the vertical and the sagittal groups. Maxillary incisors compensation was only found in the sagittal and not in the vertical groups.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal high dietary protein intake on the hepatic growth axis in offspring.
METHODS: Fourteen primiparous purebred Meishan sows were fed either a standard-protein (SP, n = 7) diet or a high-protein (HP, 150% of SP, n = 7) diet during pregnancy. Offspring (one male and one female per group, n = 14) on day 70 of the embryonic stage and on days 1, 35 and 180 after birth were selected, weighed and killed. Serum samples were analyzed for Tch, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels. Liver samples were analyzed for IGFBP-3 and IGF-I mRNA expression by qRT-PCR and for IGFBP-3, IGF1R and growth hormone receptor (GHR) protein expression by Western blotting. The underlying mechanism of IGFBP-3 regulation was determined by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP).
RESULTS: High-protein exposure resulted in significantly higher body and liver weights of piglets, and it increased their serum T3 and T4 levels at birth and/or at weaning. Furthermore, the IGFBP-3 protein content in the liver and serum was significantly reduced in the HP-exposed weaning piglets, whereas at the transcriptional level IGFBP-3 mRNA expression was downregulated in the livers of HP group piglets. Finally, DNA hypermethylation and higher enrichment of the histone repressive marks H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that a maternal high-protein diet during gestation epigenetically reprograms IGFBP-3 gene expression to modulate the hepatic growth axis in weaning piglets.

When 60-day-old tammar wallaby pouch young (Macropus eugenii) are fostered to mothers at 120 days of lactation, their growth, developmental rate and maturation of their GH/IGF axes are markedly accelerated. To determine the effect of fostering on energy intake, body composition and fat accretion, we first measured total body fat and lean mass in these young. Next, we mimicked the triglyceride oleic and palmitic acid composition of 120-day milk by supplementing 60 day young with these fatty acids and comparing their growth with that of growth accelerated young. There was no difference in the weight or growth axis maturation of supplemented young but there was significantly more body fat in these and in the growth-accelerated fostered young than in controls. We conclude that the accelerated growth and GH/IGF axis maturation observed previously in fostered young is most likely due to increased milk consumption and earlier access to specific nutrients.