The embryonic chicken is a valuable model for studying the maturation of cardiovascular physiology and the responses of this organ system to environmental manipulations such as acute hypoxia. Hypoxia determines not only the general cardiovascular response but also is a tool to determine the system\'s maturation of reflexive control. Several studies suggest embryonic chicken\'s regulation of the cardiovascular response to hypoxia, but no studies have measured the blood chemistry changes that accompany these responses. To clarify the changes in blood parameters accompanying cardiovascular function changes during acute hypoxia, we designed a study to investigate the blood chemistry (pO2, pCO2, pH, lactate, glucose, and blood ions) in developing embryos during acute hypoxia (O2 = 10 %). Embryos ranging from day 13 to 21 of incubation were sampled during a control period and at the end of a 5-min of hypoxia. Hypoxia caused bradycardia on all days of incubation. The maximal blood hypoxic response occurred on day 15, with lactate increasing 7-fold (2.5 to 16.6 mmol/l) while glucose levels decreased by 50 % (136 to 63 mg/dl). Furthermore, hypoxia reduced pH (7.40 to 7.26), which peaked on day 15. These data indicate that a 5-min exposure to 10 % O2 is sufficient to induce dramatic changes in blood chemistry however chorioallantoic arterial blood pO2 was unchanged on most days of the study. Therefore, given the cardiovascular response to hypoxia and the increase in blood lactate prior to airbreathing in the chicken embryo, the embryonic tissues experienced an acute stress that may be the basis for the change in cardiovascular function during the exposure.

Extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling controls development and homeostasis and is genetically deregulated in human diseases, including neurocognitive disorders and cancers. Although the list of ERK functions is vast and steadily growing, the full spectrum of processes controlled by any specific ERK activation event remains unknown. Here, we show how ERK functions can be systematically identified using targeted perturbations and global readouts of ERK activation. Our experimental model is the Drosophila embryo, where ERK signaling at the embryonic poles has thus far only been associated with the transcriptional patterning of the future larva. Through a combination of live imaging and phosphoproteomics, we demonstrated that ERK activation at the poles is also critical for maintaining the speed and synchrony of embryonic cleavages. The presented approach to interrogating phosphorylation networks identifies a hidden function of a well-studied signaling event and sets the stage for similar studies in other organisms.

Epidermoid and dermoid cysts are benign, usually slow-growing lesions classified as ectodermal inclusion cysts. These cysts form when epithelial remnants become trapped during the closure of the first and second branchial arch; however, a few cases are related to trauma or are iatrogenic. Diagnosis is made based on the cyst development history and imaging such as ultrasound. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice to avoid complications. We report a case report of a dermoid cyst in the pre-sternal region in a 17-year-old male patient.

Preadipocytes are formed during the 14th and 16th weeks of gestation. White adipose tissue, in particular, is generated in specific areas and thereby assembles after birth, rapidly increasing following the propagation of adipoblasts, which are considered the preadipocyte cell precursors. The second trimester of gestation is a fundamental phase of adipogenesis, and in the third trimester, adipocytes, albeit small may be present within the main deposition areas. In the course of late gestation, adipose tissue develops in the foetus and promotes the synthesis of large amounts of uncoupling protein 1, in similar quantities relative to differentiated brown adipose tissue. In mammals, differentiation occurs in two functionally different types of adipose cells: white adipose cells resulting from lipid storage and brown adipose cells from increased metabolic energy consumption. During skeletogenesis, synovial joints develop through the condensation of mesenchymal cells, which forms an insertional layer of flattened cells that umlaut skeletal elements, by sharing the same origin in the development of synovium. Peri-articular fat pads possess structural similarity with body subcutaneous white adipose tissue; however, they exhibit a distinct metabolic function due to the micro-environmental cues in which they are embedded. Fat pads are an important component of the synovial joint and play a key role in the maintenance of joint homeostasis. They are also implicated in pathological states such as osteoarthritis.In this paper we explore the therapeutic potential of adipocyte tissue mesenchymal precursor-based stem cell therapy linking it back to the anatomic origin of adipose tissue.

Enhancing an organism\'s likelihood of survival hinges on fostering a balanced and adaptable development of robust stress response systems. This critical process is significantly influenced by the embryonic environment, which plays a pivotal role in shaping neural circuits that define the stress response set-point. While certain embryonic conditions offer advantageous outcomes, others can lead to maladaptive responses. The establishment of this response set-point during embryonic development can exert life-long and inheritable effects on an organism\'s physiology and behavior. This review highlights the significance of multilevel epigenetic regulation and the intricate cross-talk among these layers in response to heat stress during the embryonic period, with a particular focus on insights gained from the avian model.

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-independent lymphopoiesis has been elucidated in murine embryos. However, our understanding regarding human embryonic counterparts remains limited. Here, we demonstrated the presence of human yolk sac-derived lymphoid-biased progenitors (YSLPs) expressing CD34, IL7R, LTB, and IRF8 at Carnegie stage 10, much earlier than the first HSC emergence. The number and lymphopoietic potential of these progenitors were both significantly higher in the yolk sac than the embryo proper at this early stage. Importantly, single-cell/bulk culture and CITE-seq have elucidated the tendency of YSLP to differentiate into innate lymphoid cells and dendritic cells. Notably, lymphoid progenitors in fetal liver before and after HSC seeding displayed distinct transcriptional features, with the former closely resembling those of YSLPs. Overall, our data identified the origin, potential, and migratory dynamics of innate lymphoid-biased multipotent progenitors in human yolk sac before HSC emergence, providing insights for understanding the stepwise establishment of innate immune system in humans.

Waste plastics bring about increasingly serious environmental challenges, which can be partly addressed by their interconversion into valuable compounds. It is hypothesized that the porosity and acidity of a zeolite-based catalyst will affect the selectivity and effectiveness, enabling a controllable and selective conversion of polyethylene (PE) into gas-diesel or lubricating base oil. A series of embryonic, partial- and well-crystalline zeolites beta with adjustable porosity and acidity are prepared from mesoporous SBA-15. The catalysts and catalytic systems are studied with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and adsorption kinetics and catalytic reactions. The adjustable porosity and acidity of zeolite-beta-based catalysts achieve a controllable selectivity toward gas-diesel or lubricating base oil for PE cracking. With a catalyst with mesopores and appropriate acid sites, a fast escape and reduced production of cracking of intermediates are observed, leading to a significant fraction (88.7%) of lubricating base oil. With more micropores, a high acid density, and strong acid strength, PE is multiply cracked into low carbon number hydrocarbons. The strong acid center of the zeolite is confirmed to facilitate significantly the activation of hydrogen (H2), and, an in situ ammonia poisoning strategy can significantly inhibit hydrogen transfer and effectively regulate the product distribution.

1. Skeletal muscle is an important component of chicken carcass. In chickens, the number of muscle fibres is fixed during the embryonic period, and muscle development during the embryonic period determines the muscle development potential after hatching.2. Beijing-You (BY) and Cornish (CN) chickens show completely different growth rates and body types, and two breeds were used in this study to explore the role of lncRNAs in muscle development during different chicken embryonic periods. A systematic analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs were conducted in the pectoral muscle tissues of BY and CN chickens at embryonic days 11 (ED11), 13 (ED13), 15 (ED15), 17 (ED17), and 1-day-old (D1) using RNA-seq. A total of 4,104 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) were identified among the five stages, including 2,359 lncRNAs and 1,745 mRNAs.3. The number of DETs between the two breeds at ED17 (1,658 lncRNAs and 1,016 mRNAs) was much higher than the total number of DET at all the other stages (692 lncRNAs and 729 mRNAs), indicating that the two breeds show the largest difference in gene regulation at ED17.4. Correlation analysis was performed for all differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs during the five periods. Forty-three, cis interaction pairs of lncRNA-mRNA related to chicken muscle development were predicted. The expression of four pairs was verified, and the results showed MSTRG.12395.2-FGFBP2 and MSTRG.18590.6-FMOD were significantly up-regulated in CN at ED11 compared to BY and might be important candidate genes for embryonic muscle development.

BACKGROUND: Embryonic pluripotency markers are recognized for their role in ER- BC aggressiveness, but their significance in ER+ BC remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of expression of pluripotency markers in ER+ BC and their effect on survival and prognostic indicators.
METHODS: We analyzed data of ER+ BC patients from three large cancer datasets to assess the expression of three pluripotency markers (NANOG, SOX-2, and OCT4), and the stem cell marker ALDH1A1. Additionally, we investigated associations between gene expression, through mRNA-Seq analysis, and overall survival (OS). The prevalence of mutational variants within these genes was explored. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we examined the expression and associations with clinicopathologic prognostic indicators of the four markers in 81 ER+ BC patients.
RESULTS: Through computational analysis, NANOG and ALDH1A1 genes were significantly upregulated in ER+ BC compared to ER- BC patients (p < 0.001), while POU5F1 (OCT4) was downregulated (p < 0.001). NANOG showed an adverse impact on OS whereas ALDH1A1 was associated with a highly significant improved survival in ER+ BC (p = 4.7e-6), except for the PR- and HER2+ subgroups. Copy number alterations (CNAs) ranged from 0.4% to 1.6% in these genes, with the highest rate detected in SOX2. In the IHC study, approximately one-third of tumors showed moderate to strong expression of each of the four markers, with 2-4 markers strongly co-expressed in 56.8% of cases. OCT-4 and ALDH1A1 showed a significant association with a high KI-67 index (p = 0.009 and 0.008, respectively), while SOX2 showed a significant association with perinodal fat invasion (p = 0.017).
CONCLUSIONS: Pluripotency markers and ALDH1A1 are substantially expressed in ER+ BC tumors with different, yet significant, associations with prognostic and survival outcomes. This study suggests these markers as targets for prospective clinical validation studies of their prognostic value and their possible therapeutic roles.

Assessments of arterial and venous blood gases are required to understand the function of respiratory organs in animals at different stages of development. We measured blood gases in the arteries entering and veins leaving the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) in embryonic alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). The CAM accounts for virtually all gas exchange in these animals, and we hypothesized that the CAM vasculature would be larger in eggs incubated in hypoxia (10% O2 for 50% or 70% of incubation), which would be reflected in a lower partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2). Contrary to this hypothesis, our measurements revealed no effects of hypoxic incubation on PCO2, and seemingly no increase in vascularization of the CAM in response to incubation in 10% O2. PCO2 was lower on the venous side, but only significantly different from arterial blood at 70% of incubation. The calculated blood flow to the CAM increased with development and was lower in both groups of alligators that had been incubated in hypoxia. Future studies should include measurements of blood parameters taken from embryos held in conditions that mirror incubation O2 levels, in combination with direct measurements of CAM artery blood flow.