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We aimed to determine the timing of appearance and the morphologic and morphometric features of the initial human cerebral sulcal formation. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance images obtained from 33 samples between 11 and 16 weeks (w) of gestation (crown-rump length <130 mm), the cerebral surface and internal structures on serial two-dimensional planes and all possible sulci on three-dimensional reconstructions were marked, allowing comparison of the positions of the sulci in the samples and inter-samples. Our method provided accurate conclusions regarding the timing of sulcal formation. Detection timing was as early as and earlier than those in previous studies using anatomical dissection and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively: <12 w for the callosum, <13 w for the hippocampal, calcarine, and parieto-occipital sulci, and < 15 w for the lateral sulcus. Occasionally, an olfactory sulcus was detected. However, the cingulate sulcus could not be definitely identified. The lateral sulcus gradually appeared and changed shape. The lengths of the left and right sides of the olfactory sulci and the left side of the hippocampal sulcus increased linearly with the CRL. The length of the right side of the hippocampal sulcus and the left and right sides of the calcarine, parieto-occipital, and not determined&#95;a sulci did not increase with the CRL The depth of the all sulci, except for the parieto-occipital sulci, increased linearly with the CRL. The sulci might not arise as if they elongate gradually but arise simultaneously over some distance. We determined the timing of the initial sulcal formation using high-resolution MRI. Our findings may significantly impact prenatal diagnosis and research on neurodevelopmental disorders., (© 2025 American Association for Anatomy.)

Background: Accurate prediction of next-day survival in imminently dying patients is crucial for facilitating timely end-of-life decisions. Objectives: To develop diagnostic models for predicting next-day survival in cancer patients with a Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) score of ≤20. Design: A multicenter, prospective, observational study. Setting/subjects: We enrolled advanced cancer patients at 23 palliative care units across Japan. Measurements: Clinical signs of impending death were recorded daily after patients' PPS scores decreased to ≤20, continuing until death or for up to 14 days. The developed models included the prediction of one-day survival-decision tree (P1d-Survival-DT), based on recursive partitioning analysis, the P1d-Survival-organ system score, which utilized a scoring system across four clinical systems (nervous/cardiovascular/respiratory/musculoskeletal), and the early signs model that focused on the absence of two early signs (altered consciousness and liquid dysphagia). Results: Of the 1896 patients included in the study, 1396 (74%) reached PPS ≤20. The average age was 73 ± 12 years, with 49% being female. The P1d-Survival-DT model showed next-day survival rates of 91.6% for patients with a response to verbal stimuli and no peripheral cyanosis, and 37.1% for those with no response to verbal stimuli and respiration with mandibular movement. The P1d-Survival-organ system score model revealed a 95.9% survival rate for score = 0, decreasing progressively to 46.7% for score = 4. The early signs model predicted a 95.2% survival rate in patients with normal consciousness and no liquid dysphagia. Conclusions: This study successfully developed three distinct models to predict next-day survival in cancer patients with PPS ≤20, offering vital tools for informed decision making in palliative care settings.

Microbial secondary metabolites not only have key roles in microbial processes and relationships but are also valued in various sectors of today's economy, especially in human health and agriculture. The advent of genome sequencing has revealed a previously untapped reservoir of biosynthetic capacity for secondary metabolites indicating that there are new biochemistries, roles and applications of these molecules to be discovered. New predictive tools for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and their associated pathways have provided insights into this new diversity. Advanced molecular and synthetic biology tools and workflows including cell-based and cell-free expression facilitate the study of previously uncharacterized BGCs, accelerating the discovery of new metabolites and broadening our understanding of biosynthetic enzymology and the regulation of BGCs. These are complemented by new developments in metabolite detection and identification technologies, all of which are important for unlocking new chemistries that are encoded by BGCs. This renaissance of secondary metabolite research and development is catalysing toolbox development to power the bioeconomy., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. Springer Nature Limited.)

Introduction: Despite many studies on the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VFs), the VF prevalence at death in the Japanese population remains unclear., Materials and Methods: We evaluated the VF prevalence at death in a Japanese cohort using autopsy imaging computed tomography (AiCT). We enrolled 365 cadavers (188 men, 177 women, mean age of 84.6 years) donated for anatomical dissection at Shimane University School of Medicine. The VFs were diagnosed using the semiquantitative technique of Genant from the first cervical vertebra to the fifth lumbar vertebra., Results: The overall VF prevalence was 69.6% (58.5%/81.4% in men/women), of which 46.0% (29.8%/63.3% in men/women) had thoracic VFs, and 58.1% (50.5%/66.1% in men/women) had lumbar VFs. The most frequent fracture site was lumbar spine 1 (L1) with 31.5% (22.9%/40.7% in men/women), followed by thoracic spine 12 (T12) with 31.0% (20.7%/41.8% in men/women). In terms of severity, 3.8% (4.8%/2.8% in men/women), 23.8% (27.1%/20.3% in men/women), and 41.9% (26.6%/58.2% in men/women) were Grades 1, 2, and 3. The VFs from T3 to L5 and of Grade 3 severity were significantly higher in women. VF and Grade 3 fractures were associated with a history of surgical intervention for femoral neck fractures. VFs were not associated with the following underlying causes of death: cancer, heart disease, senile death, cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, and aspiration pneumonia., Conclusion: The VF prevalence at death, assessed by AiCT in cadavers donated for anatomical dissection, was higher in both men and women compared with previous studies conducted on individuals aged ≥ 80 years in Japan., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors state that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Acute exercise is linked to memory improvement. Several mediators may influence the effect of exercise such as the type of exercise (aerobic exercise, muscle stretching). Purpose: The primary aim was to analyze memory outcomes after a 20-min bout of aerobic exercise or muscle stretching. Methods: 42 healthy participants ages 18-35 were randomized to perform 20 min of either moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (AE) on a treadmill or muscle stretching exercise (SE). After exercise, memory was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). The relationship between exercise heart rate and memory outcomes were evaluated within each group. Results: Immediate learning as well as delayed recall was higher after AE compared to SE. Heart rate during exercise correlated with immediate learning in the AE group only. Conclusion: Acute exercise that elicits a heart rate response may be important for improving memory., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).)

Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015. Since its conception, MIBiG has been regularly updated to expand data coverage and remain up to date with innovations in natural product research. Here, we describe MIBiG version 4.0, an extensive update to the data repository and the underlying data standard. In a massive community annotation effort, 267 contributors performed 8304 edits, creating 557 new entries and modifying 590 existing entries, resulting in a new total of 3059 curated entries in MIBiG. Particular attention was paid to ensuring high data quality, with automated data validation using a newly developed custom submission portal prototype, paired with a novel peer-reviewing model. MIBiG 4.0 also takes steps towards a rolling release model and a broader involvement of the scientific community. MIBiG 4.0 is accessible online at https://mibig.secondarymetabolites.org/., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)