Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Over the past 20 years, prenatal detection of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) has improved worldwide, reaching up to 60% in Europe. Pulmonary hypoplasia and persistent pulmonary hypertension are the two main determinants of neonatal mortality and morbidity, so new tools have been focused on their evaluation. Fetal surgery for severe cases requires proper evaluation of the prognosis of fetuses with CDH. It is very important to identify reliable prenatal prognostic factors that can be used worldwide for several reasons: patient counseling is more accurate; the results of pre- and postnatal treatments will be comparable across different institutions; fetuses eligible for fetal surgery will be selected correctly; and a woman expecting a child with a very poor prognosis can prepare herself for the postnatal demise of her baby or, in some countries, opt for termination of pregnancy

Structural Features in Tunica Media of the Aorta in Lamb

In blood vessels situated just after the heart, an irregular blood flow occurs due to some specific structural elements of the tunica media. The current paper describes the histological aspects of some post-cardiac arterial sections in lamb. The tissue samples were collected from five 30 days old male lambs (Țurcană breed). Histological specimens from different regions of the aorta were harvested (i.e., the ascending aorta, aortic arch, thoracic and abdominal regions of the descending aorta). From the specified regions, small pieces (cca. 0.5 cm) were fixed in neutral 10% buffered formalin. The tissues were subsequently embedded in paraffin wax, sectioned at 5 μm, and stained with Goldner’s trichrome and Verhoeff methods. Tissue analysis was performed using an Olympus system for image acquisition and analysis. Histological appearance of the assessed segments of the aorta in lamb is unusual. Major changes occur in tunica media of the aorta. In the ascending aorta, aortic arch and thoracic regions of the aorta, the histological outline is somewhat the same. The internal region of the media possesses the typical lamellar arrangement. Concerning the outer part of tunica media, the smooth muscle has a tendency to form bundles of various sizes. The muscle islands are not present in the media of abdominal region of the aorta, which exhibits the classic pattern of elastic arteries

A novel insertional allele of the CG18135 gene is associated with severe mutant phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster has been at the forefront of genetic studies and biochemical modeling for over a century. Yet, the functions of many genes are still unknown, mainly because no phenotypic data are available. Herein, we present the first evidence data regarding the particular molecular and other quantifiable phenotypes, such as viability and anatomical anomalies, induced by a novel P{lacW} insertional mutant allele of the CG18135 gene. So far, the CG18135 functions have only been theorized based on electronic annotation and presumptive associations inferred upon high-throughput proteomics or RNA sequencing experiments. The descendants of individuals harboring the CG18135P{lacW}CG18135 allele were scored in order to assess mutant embryonic, larval, and pupal viability versus Canton Special (CantonS). Our results revealed that the homozygous CG18135P{lacW}CG18135/CG18135P{lacW}CG18135 genotype determines significant lethality both at the inception of the larval stage and during pupal development. The very few imago escapers that either breach or fully exit the puparium exhibit specific eye depigmentation, wing abnormal unfolding, strong locomotor impairment with apparent spasmodic leg movements, and their maximum lifespan is shorter than 2 days. Using the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method, we found that CG18135 is upregulated in male flies, but an unexpected gene upregulation was also detected in heterozygous mutants compared to wild-type flies, probably because of regulatory perturbations induced by the P{lacW} transposon. Our work provides the first phenotypic evidence for the essential role of CG18135, a scenario in accordance with the putative role of this gene in carbohydrate-binding processes

Presence of Granular Ducts in Mandibular Gland in Rabbit

The present study focuses on the intralobular ducts present in rabbit mandibular gland, from a histological and histochemical point of view. We harvested mandibular gland samples from five rabbits (approximately six month old), which were paraffin embedded and subsequently stained for histological investigation with hematoxylin-eosin. PAS and Alcian blue reactions were used for histochemical assessment. Results show that mandibular gland in rabbit contains one type of acini, namely serous. Concerning the intralobular ducts, there were three types identified: intercalated, granular and striated. Granules present in the cytoplasm of the cells lining the granular ducts appear acidophilic on hematoxylin-eosin staining procedure. Histochemically, granular cells present a moderately PAS positive material (meaning they secrete neutral mucosubstances) and negative staining to Alcian blue reaction (no acid and sulfated mucosubstances were detected). We highlighted the presence of granular ducts in rabbit mandibular gland, which synthesize neutral mucosubstances according to the histochemical reactions applied

STRUCTURAL PARTICULARITIES OF THE EPITHELIUM LINING THE LAMB EPIGLOTTIS

Epiglottis presents a central axis covered by mucosa. The aim of this study was highlighting the type of epithelium lining the lamb epiglottis. Thus, we histologically processed the epiglottis from 3 lambs. The epithelium lining the whole epiglottis surface is non-keratinized stratified squamous, with different thickness from one side to the other. Hence, on the pharyngeal side the epithelium is twice as thick as the one found on the laryngeal side

Radiocarbon investigation of a superlative grandidier baobab, the big reniala of Isosa

The article discloses the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating results of the Big Reniala of Isosa, which is a massive Grandidier baobab (Adansonia grandidieri Baill.) of Madagascar. The investigation of this baobab shows that it consists of 5 perfectly fused stems and exhibits a cluster structure. The calculated wood volume of the tree is 540 m 3 , which makes the Big Reniala of Isosa the largest individual of all Adansonia species and also the biggest known angiosperm in terms of volume. Several samples were collected from the outer part of the stems. The oldest dated sample had a radiocarbon date of 934 ± 24 BP, which corresponds to a calibrated age of 845 ± 25 years. This value indicates an age of 1000 ± 100 years for the big Reniala of Isosa

Radiocarbon investigation of the big baobab of Outapi, Namibia

Author Posting. © Studia Chemia, 2021. This article is posted here by permission of Studia Chemia for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Studia Universitatis Babes: Bolyai Chemia, 66(1), 153-163, http://dx.doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2021.01.12.The article reports the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the Big baobab of Outapi, which is the largest African baobab of Outapi, Namibia. The investigation of this monumental baobab revealed that it consists of 8 fused stems, out of which 4 are false stems. The Big baobab exhibits a closed ring-shaped structure. Three stems build the ring, which is now incomplete due to previous damage to the false cavity. Three wood samples were collected from the false cavity and from the longest false stem. Seven segments were extracted from the samples and dated by radiocarbon. The oldest investigated sample segment had a radiocarbon date of 820 ± 17 BP, corresponding to a calibrated age of 780 ± 10 calendar years. According to dating results, the Big baobab of Outapi is 850 ± 50 years old.The investigation and sampling of the baobab was authorized by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Namibia under the Research/Collecting Permit No. 1934_2014. The research was funded by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research CNCS-UEFISCDI under grant PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-2567, No. 145/2021