Stauroneis (Naviculales, Bacillariaceae) are widespread, mostly in fresh-water habitats, and account for 343 species. They are described mainly on the basis of morphology and morphometric traits. These characteristics vary during life cycles and may overlap between species, making their identification difficult. We isolated two strains of naviculoid diatoms and examined them using an integrative approach (phylogenetic, morphological, ultrastructural data, and life cycle). Phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast rbcL gene data showed affinity of the new strains to the genus Stauroneis. Our algae share morphological features typical of Stauroneis but differ from similar species in minimal valve length measurements, valve apex shape, and minimal number of striae in 10 μm. Two strains are distinct from each other in maximal valve length and width, partially valve shape, the number of areolae in 10 μm, and cingulum structure. It was revealed that the strains reproduce via isogamy. Three species delimitation methods (ASAP, PTP, and GMYC) also confirmed that the two closely related new strains represent distinct species. Based on molecular data and phenotypic traits examined within the framework of an integrative approach, we describe two new isolates as Stauroneis urbani sp. nov. and Stauroneis edaphica sp. nov.

Endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECA) is reported increasingly often in young women, and this aggressive disease lacks effective methods of targeted therapy. Since mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) is an important biomarker for predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, it is important to investigate the clinicopathological features and immune microenvironment of dMMR ECAs. We assessed 617 ECAs from representative tissue microarray sections, gathered clinicopathologic information, reviewed histological characteristics, and performed immunohistochemical staining for MMR, programmed cell death 1 (PD-L1), and other immune markers. Of 617 ECA samples, 20 (3.2%) cases had dMMR. Among them, loss of MMR-related proteins expression was observed in 17/562 (3.0%) human papilloma virus-associated (HPVA) adenocarcinoma and 3/55 (5.5%) non-HPV-associated (NHPVA) adenocarcinoma. In NHPVA cohort, dMMR status was observed in 3 (3/14, 15.0%) patients with clear cells. dMMR ECAs had a higher tendency to have a family history of cancer, larger tumor size, p16 negative, HPV E6/E7 mRNA in situ hybridization (HPV E6/E7 RNAscope) negative, and lower ki-67 index. Among the morphological variables evaluated, poor differentiation, necrosis, stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, peritumoral lymphocytes, and lymphoid follicles were easily recognized in the dMMR ECAs. In addition, dMMR ECAs had higher CD3+, CD8+, CD38+, CD68+ and PD-1+ immune cells. A relatively high prevalence of PD-L1 expression was observed in dMMR ECAs. dMMR ECAs were significantly more likely to present with a tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes -high/PD-L1-positive status. In conclusion, dMMR ECAs have some specific morphological features and a critical impact on the immune microenvironment, which may provide insights into improving responses to immunotherapy-included comprehensive treatment for ECAs in the future.

Determining the reference base of anthropometric parameters on a sample of elite athletes is one of the foundations of further research and forming a clearer picture of each sport and sports discipline. In this study, the aim was to describe the anthropometric and somatotype profiles of elite Finn class sailors and to determine the differences in the measured parameters between sailors at different levels of general competitive success. The subject sample included 57 Finn class sailors who competed at the open Finn European Championship. A set of 25 anthropometric variables were applied. The sailors were divided into three groups according to their level of general competitive success using World Sailing Rankings. Finn sailors had higher average values in almost all morphological characteristics when compared to the sailors in other Olympic classes. Considering the average values of somatotype categories, we determined that Finn sailors fit the endomorphic mesomorph somatotype category (3.94 ± 1.19 - 5.50 ± 1.19 - 1.63 ± 0.74). Significant differences were observed between more-successful, medium, and less-successful sailors in the variables of age, body mass, muscle mass, arm muscle mass, and endomorphy rating. These results indicate the possibility of selection processes and/or adaptation to sailing occurring in the Finn class. The anthropometric characteristics of Finn sailors compared to sailors in Olympic classes further \"support\" the Finn class being called the \"heavy dinghy\" male class. This study on anthropometric parameters, determined via a sample of top Finn sailors, may be of great help to coaches and young sailors when deciding on the selection of an adult sailing class.

This study evaluates longitudinal and transversal intramuscular variations in muscle fiber and meat quality characteristics in bovine M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL). The LTL muscles (n = 5) from the left side of the beef carcass were cut at intervertebral segment intervals (between 1st thoracic vertebra (TV) and 6th lumbar vertebra (LV)). The pennation angle demonstrated an increasing trend from the anterior to posterior regions regardless of the medial (M-zone) and lateral (L-zone) regions (P < 0.05). The M -zone had a higher pennation angle than the L-zone in the TV and 1st LV (P < 0.05). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle fibers, excluding type I, was larger in the posterior region than the anterior region (P < 0.05). A larger CSA of type I/IIA, IIA, IIAX, and IIX was observed on the lateral side than on the medial side of the 13th TV (P < 0.05). Fiber types were more oxidative (types I and IIA) in the anterior region and more glycolytic (types IIA/IIX and IIX) in the posterior region. Fat content was higher in the anterior region than in the posterior region (P < 0.05). The lowest redness, yellowness, and Warner-Bratzler shear force values were observed in the middle of the muscle, whereas the lightness value was lower in the posterior region regardless of the transversal region (P < 0.05). Therefore, bovine LTL muscles exhibit unique morphological properties and contribute to understanding meat quality associated with morphological and muscle fiber characteristics in relation to their intramuscular variations.

Raphidiopsis blooms are notorious for cyanotoxin formation and strong invasiveness, threatening the stability of aquatic ecosystems and human health. The protozoa Paramecium can potentially serve as an organism for controlling Raphidiopsis blooms owing to its grazing effect. However, the grazing ability of Paramecium is largely determined by the size of the prey, and the population of Raphidiopsis consists of filaments of varying lengths and sizes. The selective grazing behavior of Paramecium toward short-length or small-sized filaments in the Raphidiopsis population, as opposed to long filaments, remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we co-cultured the predator Paramecium sp. with different initial abundances and the prey Raphidiopsis raciborskii to explore this knowledge gap. Our results suggested that: (1) the population of R. raciborskii declined under the selective grazing effect of Paramecium sp. on short filaments, whereas R. raciborskii with long filaments survived; (2) the growth of Paramecium sp. feeding on the same abundance of R. raciborskii was reduced at higher initial abundances, whereas its carrying capacity exhibited an opposite trend; (3) under ingestion by Paramecium sp., the morphology of R. raciborskii developed in the direction of becoming larger, and higher initial abundances of Paramecium sp. intensified this process; (4) increasing initial abundance of Paramecium sp. aggravated the decline of R. raciborskii photosynthetic activity. Therefore, the grazing effect of Paramecium sp. on R. raciborskii mainly affects filaments of short length or small size. Collectively, these results clarify the inter-species interaction between the protozoa Paramecium and filamentous cyanobacteria Raphidiopsis, including population dynamics and morphological and physiological changes in the predator and prey. Such insights into the interactions between Paramecium and R. raciborskii may have implications for the biological control of blooms caused by filamentous cyanobacteria.

Copper is one of the unavoidable heavy metals in wine production. In this study, the effects on fermentation performance and physiological metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under copper stress were investigated. EC1118 was the most copper-resistant among the six strains. The ethanol accumulation of EC1118 was 26.16-20 mg/L Cu2+, which was 1.90-3.15 times higher than that of other strains. The fermentation rate was significantly reduced by copper, and the inhibition was relieved after 4-10 days of adjustment. Metabolomic-transcriptomic analysis revealed that amino acid and nucleotide had the highest number of downregulated and upregulated differentially expressed metabolites, respectively. The metabolism of fructose and mannose was quickly affected, which then triggered the metabolism of galactose in copper stress. Pathways such as oxidative and organic acid metabolic processes were significantly affected in the early time, resulting in a significant decrease in the amount of carboxylic acids. The pathways related to protein synthesis and metabolism under copper stress, such as translation and peptide biosynthetic process, was also significantly affected. In conclusion, this study analyzed the metabolite-gene interaction network and molecular response during the alcohol fermentation of S. cerevisiae under copper stress, providing theoretical basis for addressing the influence of copper stress in wine production.

BACKGROUND: Many consumers use cosmetic eye products to counteract age-related changes in appearance. Measurements of eyelid shape in Asian women have been reported in the frontal view or 45-degree profile only. The aim of this study was to describe morphological characteristics of the upper eyelid in Japanese and Chinese females from the frontal and profile aspects and examine morphological changes with age.
METHODS: Standardized digital photographs of 772 Japanese and 346 Chinese women (15-79 years of age) were acquired in frontal and 90-degree profile aspects. Eleven upper eyelid parameters (e.g., width, length, depth, aperture, and curvature) were measured using image analysis to determine age-related changes and compare by ethnicity.
RESULTS: Eyelid width, area between eyebrow and eyelid, and eyelid curvature were comparable for both ethnicities under age 40, but the aging effect was more pronounced in Chinese subjects. Eyelid height, depth, and upper eyelid aperture angle were also comparable for both ethnicities under age 40, but the aging effect was more evident in Japanese subjects. Upper eyelid incline angle, eye orientation, and upper eyelid protrusion angle changed comparably with age for both ethnicities. No prominent age-related changes were evident for eyelid length or area between eyebrow and eye with the eye closed.
CONCLUSIONS: Upper eyelid morphology changes with age in Japanese and Chinese females, starting around 40 years of age. Ethnic differences are limited in younger age groups but become more prominent with age. The findings suggest that aging affects some upper eyelid features earlier than others.

This study aims to delineate the causal relationships between idiopathic tinnitus in different stages and severity and the morphological properties in specific brain regions. We utilized a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to ascertain the causal effects of brain structural attributes on varying severities and stages of tinnitus. Our approach involved harnessing genetic variables derived from extensive genome-wide association studies as instrumental variables, centered mainly on pertinent single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with tinnitus. Subsequently, we integrated this data with brain structural imaging inputs to facilitate the MR analysis. We also applied reverse MR analysis to pinpoint the critical brain regions implicated in the onset of tinnitus. Our analysis revealed a demonstrable causal relationship between tinnitus and brain structural alterations, including changes primarily within the auditory cortex and hub regions of the limbic system, as well as portions of the frontal-temporal-occipital circuit. We found that individuals exhibiting cortical thickness alterations in the bilateral peri-calcarine and right superior occipital gyrus might have previously experienced tinnitus. Changes in the cortical areas of the right rectus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and right pars-orbitalis appeared unrelated to tinnitus. Furthermore, moderate tinnitus patients showed more pronounced structural alterations. This study substantiates that tinnitus could instigate substantial structural alterations mainly within the auditory-limbic-frontal-visual system, while the reciprocal causality was not supported. Moreover, the data underscores that moderate, rather than severe, tinnitus precipitates the most significant structural changes. Morphological alterations in several specific brain areas either indicate a history of tinnitus or bear no relation to it.

The chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Mussaenda pubescens, a promising resource that is used as a traditional medicine and drink, is important for understanding the phylogenetic relationships among the Mussaenda family and genetic improvement and reservation. This research represented the first comprehensive description of the morphological characteristics of M. pubescens, as well as an analysis of the complete cp genome and phylogenetic relationship. The results indicated a close relationship between M. pubescens and M. hirsutula based on the morphological characteristics of the flower and leaves. The cp was sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The results indicated the cp genome of M. pubescens spanned a total length of 155,122 bp, including a pair of inverted repeats (IRA and IRB) with a length of 25,871 bp for each region, as well as a large single-copy (LSC) region and a small single-copy (SSC) region with lengths of 85,370 bp and 18,010 bp, respectively. The results of phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that species within the same genus displayed a tendency to group closely together. It was suggested that Antirhea, Cinchona, Mitragyna, Neolamarckia, and Uncaria might have experienced an early divergence. Furthermore, M. hirsutula showed a close genetic connection to M. pubescens, with the two species having partially overlapping distributions in China. This study presents crucial findings regarding the identification, evolution, and phylogenetic research on Mussaenda plants, specifically targeting M. pubescens.

The impacts of enzymatically produced acylglycerol and glycerin monostearate on the characteristics of gelatin-stabilized omega-3 emulsions and microcapsules were investigated. Tuna oil was enzymatically produced and the resulting acylglycerol was mixed with tuna oil at 12.5% (w/w) to prepare a novel oil phase. This oil phase was stabilized by gelatin to prepare oil-in-water emulsions and subsequent microcapsules via complex coacervation. The tuna oil with glycerin monostearate (GMS) at 1 and 2% (w/w) were used as controls. Results showed that both acylglycerol and GMS significantly reduced the emulsion droplet size and zeta potential, while increasing the viscoelasticity and stability. The diacylglycerol/monoacylglycerol were involved in the oil/water interfacial layer formation by lowering interfacial tension and increasing droplet surface hydrophobicity. Overall, the changed emulsion properties promoted the complex coacervation and contributed to the formation of microcapsules with improved oxidative stability. Therefore, enzymatically produced acylglycerol can develop high-quality stable omega-3 microencapsulated novel food ingredients.