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Emerging questions in neuromuscular physiology revolve around whether males and females share similar neural control in diverse tasks across a broad range of intensities. In order to explore these features, high‐density electromyography was used to record the myoelectrical activity of biceps brachii during trapezoidal isometric contractions at 35% and 70% of maximal voluntary force (MVF) on 11 male and 13 female participants. Identified motor units were then classified as lower‐threshold (recruited at ≤30%MVF) and higher‐threshold (recruited at >30%MVF). The discharge rate, interspike interval variability, recruitment and derecruitment thresholds, and estimates of neural drive to motor neurons were assessed. Female lower‐threshold motor units showed higher neural drive (P < 0.001), accompanied by higher discharge rate at recruitment (P = 0.006), plateau (P = 0.001) and derecruitment (P = 0.001). On the other hand, male higher‐threshold motor units showed greater neural drive (P = 0.04), accompanied by higher discharge rate at recruitment (P = 0.005), plateau (P = 0.04) and derecruitment (P = 0.01). Motor unit discharge rate normalised by the recruitment threshold was significantly higher in female lower‐threshold motor units (P < 0.001), while no differences were observed in higher‐threshold motor units. Recruitment and derecruitment thresholds are higher in males across all intensities (P < 0.01). However, males and females have similar activation and deactivation strategies, as evidenced by similar recruitment‐to‐derecruitment ratios (P > 0.05). This study encompasses a broad intensity range to analyse motor unit sex‐related differences, highlighting higher neural drive and discharge rates in female lower‐threshold motor units, elevated recruitment and derecruitment thresholds in males, and convergences in activation and deactivation strategies. Highlights What is the central question of the study? Do male and female motor units behave similarly in low‐ and high‐intensity contractions? What is the main finding and its importance? Female motor units show higher discharge rates in low‐intensity tasks and lower discharge rates in high‐intensity tasks, with no differences in recruitment behaviour. A broader inter‐spike interval variability was also observed in females. These findings underline that there are sex‐specific differences concern the firing strategies based on task intensity.

Background: Dietary vitamins and minerals are essential compounds for the proper functioning of metabolic enzymes, regulation of gene transcription, and powering the body’s defense against oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate micronutrient consumption separately by age and sex, major dietary sources, and percentage of individuals meeting the recommended requirements according to Italian (Livelli di Assunzione di Riferimento di Nutrienti (LARN)) and European (European Food Safety Agency (EFSA)) agencies. Methods: Data were obtained from the Mediterranean Healthy Eating, Ageing, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study, which included a sample of 1838 individuals randomly collected in the city of Catania, southern Italy. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to collect information on diet. Results: Intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B group (except vitamin B9) was in line with other reports and was adequate according to the guidelines, while the percentage of individuals meeting the guidelines for vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin B9 was about 3%, 10%, and 40%, respectively. Among minerals, intake of iron, magnesium, and selenium was adequate for most of the sample, while the percentage of individuals meeting the recommendations for calcium, sodium, and potassium intake was about 20%, 8%, and 35%, respectively. Conclusions: An important percentage of the population would benefit from campaigns raising awareness of micronutrient deficiency or excessive consumption potentially affecting their health.

Background: Dietary intake of macronutrient and foods is considered crucial to decrease the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Methods: The aim of this study was to describe the intake of major food groups and macronutrients in a random sample of 1838 southern Italian adults. Results: No significant differences of macronutrient consumption between sexes were found. By contrast, younger individuals had significantly higher intake of animal protein than older ones. Men reported consuming significantly more total processed meats and less eggs than women; egg consumption significantly increased by age groups. Significantly lower intake of fruit in the younger age group compared to older ones was found. Various patterns of correlation between food groups were described. More than half of individuals reached the suggested recommendations for carbohydrate and fiber intake, and about two-thirds met the recommendations for total protein and cholesterol intake, while only a minority met for total fat intake. Total and plant protein, monounsaturated and omega-6 fatty acids, were significantly inversely related with BMI (body mass index), while trans fatty acids and cholesterol were directly correlated. A direct association with unprocessed meats and an inverse association with processed meats was also found. Conclusions: The overall findings suggest that relatively healthy dietary habits are common in southern Italy.

A pandemia de Covid-19 causada pelo vírus SARS-Cov-2 ocasionou inúmeras mudanças no cotidiano, incluindo a implementação do ensino remoto emergencial (ERE). Visando investigar como as Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e da Comunicação (TDICs) foram utilizadas no contexto do ensino superior de Biociências, onde tanto o conhecimento teórico como o desenvolvimento de habilidades práticas são requeridos, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura para o período compreendido entre março de 2020 e março de 2022 nas bases de dados Portal Periódicos CAPES, SCIELO, Scopus e PubMed. Foram selecionados 43 estudos, que em sua maioria focaram na análise de percepção de alunos de graduação na área de saúde. A análise identificou diversas TDICs utilizadas para a adaptação do ERE, principalmente o uso de plataformas interativas de aprendizagem e plataformas de reunião. As principais barreiras relatadas foram a falta de recursos e métodos, além de problemas relacionados ao apoio mental e emocional e a falta de infraestrutura. Os principais pontos positivos relatados foram a economia e flexibilidade a interação do ERE, enquanto falta de planejamento e adequação dos cursos foram apontadas como pontos negativos. Esse estudo indica que o modelo de ensino misto, com aulas presenciais e online, síncronas e assíncronas pode ser avaliado como perspectiva futura para o ensino de Biociências.

Three loose blocks, rich in dinosaur footprints, were found in a small pier at Mattinata (Gargano Promontory, Foggia, Italy), most probably quarried from the Upper Jurassic Sannicandro Formation. All of the footprints in the blocks are ascribed to medium-sized theropod trackmakers. Recent track discoveries from both the Early Cretaceous San Giovanni Rotondo Limestone and the Late Cretaceous Altamura Limestone, as well as this new discovery, reveal the consistency of terrestrial associations along the southern margin of the Tethys Ocean in the peri-Mediterranean area at the end of Jurassic through Cretaceous times. The presence of these dinosaur-track-rich levels within marine sediments of the Apulia Platform underlines the relevance of dinosaur footprints as a means of constraining paleogeographic reconstructions.

Plants can react to drought stress by anticipating flowering, an adaptive strategy for plant survival in dry climates known as drought escape (DE). In Arabidopsis, the study of DE brought to surface the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) in controlling the floral transition. A central question concerns how and in what spatial context can ABA signals affect the floral network. In the leaf, ABA signaling affects flowering genes responsible for the production of the main florigen FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). At the shoot apex, FD and FD-like transcription factors interact with FT and FT-like proteins to regulate ABA responses. This knowledge will help separate general and specific roles of ABA signaling with potential benefits to both biology and agriculture.

Background: Tooth whitening is a widely sought-after cosmetic procedure, with various at-home and professional treatments available. This study compares the whitening efficacy of an activated charcoal toothpaste and a 6% hydrogen peroxide whitening pen under controlled in vitro conditions. Methods: Twenty freshly extracted human teeth were stained with a coffee solution and divided into two groups. Group A underwent daily applications of activated charcoal toothpaste for 30 days, while Group B received a single 5 min application of a 6% hydrogen peroxide whitening pen. Tooth color was assessed using the VITA Classical A1-D4 Shade Guide at baseline, mid-treatment, and post-treatment for Group A and at baseline and immediately after treatment for Group B. Results: The activated charcoal toothpaste exhibited a gradual whitening effect, with the most significant improvements occurring within the first two weeks (p < 0.01), after which the whitening effect plateaued. In contrast, the hydrogen peroxide whitening pen produced immediate and substantial whitening (p < 0.001). Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann–Whitney U test confirmed the superior efficacy of the hydrogen peroxide treatment. Conclusions: The hydrogen peroxide whitening pen was significantly more effective in achieving rapid and substantial whitening compared to the activated charcoal toothpaste, which provided gradual but limited improvements. Further clinical studies are needed to evaluate the long-term color stability.

The floral transition occurs at the shoot apical meristem (SAM) in response to favourable external and internal signals. Among these signals, variations in daylength (photoperiod) act as robust seasonal cues to activate flowering. In Arabidopsis, long-day photoperiods stimulate production in the leaf vasculature of a systemic florigenic signal that is translocated to the SAM. According to the current model, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), the main Arabidopsis florigen, causes transcriptional reprogramming at the SAM, so that lateral primordia eventually acquire floral identity. FT functions as a transcriptional coregulator with the bZIP transcription factor FD, which binds DNA at specific promoters. FD can also interact with TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1), a protein related to FT that acts as a floral repressor. Thus, the balance between FT-TFL1 at the SAM influences the expression levels of floral genes targeted by FD. Here, we show that the FD-related bZIP transcription factor AREB3, which was previously studied in the context of phytohormone abscisic acid signalling, is expressed at the SAM in a spatio-temporal pattern that strongly overlaps with FD and contributes to FT signalling. Mutant analyses demonstrate that AREB3 relays FT signals redundantly with FD, and the presence of a conserved carboxy-terminal SAP motif is required for downstream signalling. AREB3 shows unique and common patterns of expression with FD, and AREB3 expression levels are negatively regulated by FD thus forming a compensatory feedback loop. Mutations in another bZIP, FDP , further aggravate the late flowering phenotypes of fd areb3 mutants. Therefore, multiple florigen-interacting bZIP transcription factors have redundant functions in flowering at the SAM.

The present work evaluates for the first time two Lavandin (Lavandula × intermedia Emeric ex Loisel.) aromatic waters obtained from different plant organs, the flowers and the stems. Both extracts were analysed by GC-MS, which indicates semi-quantitative differences between the major metabolites including linalool, 1,8-cineole, camphor, linalyl acetate and 4-terpineol. 1H-NMR and LC-MS investigation confirmed the presence of these compounds. Moreover, behavioural tests with the food insect pest Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) showed a good repellency for both hydrosols extracts with RD50 values of 3.6 and 3.3 µL·cm−2 for the flowers and stems, respectively; at the higher concentrations, however, the hydrosol extract from the flowers is expected to be more effective than the one from the stems. The effect of the flowers and stems aromatic water of Lavandin on seed germination of Raphanus sativus was also evaluated. Results showed that seed germination was completely inhibited by flowers hydrolate, having a possible application as natural herbicide. The overall experience with these Lavandin extracts indicates the potential of improved hydrolates to become the main distillation products, rather than by-products, of the aromatic plants manufacturing; this stimulates further discussions about the potential positive impacts that such a shift could have in the context of ecopharmacognosy.