Increasingly frequent summer droughts are intensifying stem dehydration across European forests, constraining tree growth and resilience. Even mild water-related stress can inhibit tree growth, although its impact is species-specific. Tree water deficit (TWD), a measure deduced from radial stem contraction during drought, reflects stem water status and can be used as a proxy for the physiological drought stress experienced by trees. Using high-resolution dendrometer measurements representing 29 tree species from 130 forest sites across Europe from 2003 to 2018, we examined how the length of TWD periods during summer is related to their recurrence within the same year, to TWD intensity, to climate factors, and to wood type (i.e., tracheid-based coniferous, ring-porous or diffuse-porous anatomy). A greater degree of incomplete rehydration, indicated by highest minimum TWD during TWD periods (70% increase of expected response for conifers and ring-porous species, 42% increase of expected response for diffuse-porous), together with warmer temperature (44% increase of expected response for all wood types) and stronger drought, prolonged the length of TWD periods. However, the recurrence of TWD periods only increased the length of the subsequent TWD period within the same year for diffuse-porous tree species (12% increase of expected response). Our results show that wood type and its associated functional traits influence tree responses to recurring stem dehydration periods. The greater sensitivity of diffuse-porous species to recurring TWD periods suggests that wood type anatomy may play an important role in determining how tree species cope with increasingly frequent summer droughts.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for adult post-traumatic symptoms and white matter (WM) alterations. It remains unknown how WM microstructure is affected alongside two common military conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Data from 299 participants (53% male, 35.69 ± 12.23 years of age) of the Injury and Traumatic Stress (INTRuST) clinical consortium was analyzed. The study included 56 individuals with PTSD (41 with comorbid mTBI), 107 with mTBI, and 136 controls (no PTSD and/or mTBI). Diffusion parameters (mean, axial, and radial diffusivity, MD, AD, RD; fractional anisotropy, FA) in major WM tracts were extracted from diffusion MRI. CM was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Multiple regression models examined associations between CM severity and WM diffusion. Moderation analyses assessed the effect of PTSD and/or mTBI on these associations. Mediation analyses examined how WM diffusion affects the associations between CM and both PTSD and post-concussive symptom severity. Greater CM severity was associated with lower MD and AD, independent of PTSD and/or mTBI. WM diffusion, particularly in the corpus callosum and the superior longitudinal fasciculus, mediated the associations between CM severity and both PTSD (MD bab = 0.022, AD bab = 0.019-0.034) and post-concussive symptoms (MD bab = 0.028-0.040, AD bab = 0.032-0.047). Findings suggest that WM alterations are more strongly associated with CM itself than with either PTSD and/or mTBI. Mediating effects in regions critical for sensory integration highlight the role of WM microstructure as a neurobiological pathway through which CM might predispose to post-traumatic symptoms.

Based on recommendations by the Food and Agriculture Organization, an international standardization was launched for a static in vitro protein digestibility method, recently published as the INFOGEST Quant protocol. Based on the validated INFOGEST 2.0 method, the INFOGEST Quant protocol allows quantification of total protein digestibility, individual amino acid digestibility, and digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) calculation. Comparability of protein digestibility obtained with the INFOGEST Quant method was confirmed using identical substrates in vitro and in vivo. Method standardization within the International Dairy Federation and the International Organization for Standardization was initiated, and precision data were established in two international collaborative studies by over 25 laboratories. The three applied analytical endpoints were comparable. Robust precision estimates for o-phthalaldehyde and total nitrogen showed repeatability and reproducibility limits of 10% and 15%, respectively. Moreover, the protein digestibility of fresh dairy foods was higher than in freeze-dried samples, highlighting matrix and processing effects.

Temperature and salinity are key abiotic factors influencing the physiology, distribution, and survival of aquatic organisms, yet their combined effects remain poorly understood, especially in landlocked freshwater decapods. We provide experimental data on the single and, for the first time, combined effects of temperature and salinity in atyid shrimps, focusing on Neocaridina davidi, an exotic and potentially invasive species widely traded in the aquarium industry. We used dynamic assays (CTmin, CTmax, and LTmax) and reaction norms to compare pet-traded and feral N. davidi populations with different life histories acclimated to 15-27°C and 0-10‰. These included the oldest known European population in a thermally and saline-polluted channel in Poland and recently established populations on Réunion Island. Overall, increased salinity reduced thermal tolerance. Despite being a landlocked freshwater shrimp, N. davidi exhibited moderate salinity tolerance, suggesting possible dispersal into low-to moderately saline brackish waters. However, ecological performance declined with rising salinity before physiological limits were reached. All populations showed thermal plasticity, though the magnitude of these responses varied among populations, consistent with differences in environmental history, phenotypic plasticity, and potentially genetic differentiation. These findings highlight the importance of both physiological plasticity and environmental context in shaping tolerance to interacting abiotic stressors when predicting invasion dynamics and the future distribution of this emerging invader.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a fatal monogenic hereditary disease that affects approximately 100,000 people worldwide. It is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, impairing biosynthesis and/or function of a protein that regulates chloride and bicarbonate fluxes. CFTR loss of function is associated with aberrant, non-resolving inflammation that in combination with recurrent infection leads to respiratory insufficiency. Cellular and molecular studies have uncovered failures in key mechanisms of inflammation resolution, consequent to loss of function of CFTR expressed by leukocytes, platelets, and epithelial and endothelial cells. This chapter illustrates these processes and discusses pro-resolving therapeutic approaches to combat CF inflammation.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a ubiquitous human pathogen that may cause acute liver disease. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, high prevalence rates are still reported in Southeast Asia and Africa, where sanitation conditions are poor. Although seven genotypes are known, including three in humans, three in non-human primates (NHP), and one recently identified in alpacas, the diversity, ecology, and evolutionary history of HAV remain poorly understood. In a pilot study of virome molecular characterization of wild African apes by using oligonucleotide probes enrichment, HAV sequences were detected in two animals (2/105; 1.9%): one from a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) from southern Cameroon, sampled in 2006, and another from a central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in northeastern Gabon, sampled in 2011, approximately 450 km apart. Two near-full-length viral genomes were successfully reconstructed using specific primer sets that were developed. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these sequences cluster within the simian HAV clade, forming a distinct cluster closely related to environmental strains from the Sanaga River in Cameroon and South Africa, yet clearly divergent from genotype V sequences (≥15.8% nucleotide divergence in the VP1 protein). Amino acid comparisons identified residues conserved in simian HAVs and, subsequently, only in African HAV strains. These results support the classification of a supplementary African simian genotype, provisionally designated HAV-VIII. HAV-positive samples (13/227; 5.7%) were detected in the same field sites, suggesting localized viral circulation in these populations. Bayesian time-scaled phylogenetic analysis estimated the most recent common ancestor of the human and simian HAV lineages at ~ 2 291 years ago and that of simian lineages at ~ 1900 years ago, with a more recent diversification (~100 years ago) within the identified lineage. This study highlights the presence of HAV in wild ape populations for the first time and also the first HAV detection among NHP species in Central Africa. These findings contribute to our current understanding of the diversity and evolution of HAV and highlight the need to extend surveillance across NHP species to better assess potential zoonotic risks.

Cutaneous carcinomas of the lateral nasal ala, sometimes extending to the upper lip triangle, frequently require superficial or full-thickness resections. Despite their small size, these defects present a significant reconstructive challenge due to the 3-dimensional anatomy and high functional and aesthetic demands of the nasal region. We describe a 1-stage reconstructive technique using a nasal sidewall propeller flap (NSPF), a freestyle perforator flap harvested from the homolateral nasal sidewall, based on perforators from the facial or internal nasal artery. When needed, the NSPF is combined with a transverse jugal advancement flap to restore the continuity of the upper lip aesthetic subunit. Seventeen patients with lateral nasal ala defects were treated using this method: 12 NSPF and 5 melolabial propeller flaps. No flap necrosis occurred. A second-stage aesthetic refinement was necessary in 3 NSPF cases and all 5 melolabial propeller flap cases. The NSPF offers a reliable, easy-to-harvest, single-stage alternative to multistage flaps and free cartilage grafts. The technique provides excellent color and texture match and minimizes donor site morbidity. Its versatility and reproducibility make it an effective option for lateral nasal ala reconstruction.

SOM3355 is a β1-blocker and a vesicular monoamine transporter type 1 and 2 inhibitor developed for the treatment of Huntington's disease (HD). Its novel polypharmacology makes it suited for the effective and safe treatment of chorea and other HD symptoms.