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In many animal embryos, the tail bends ventrally as it grows, but the underlying mechanisms driving this multi-tissue deformation have been difficult to study. A new paper in Development uses the simple chordate Ciona as a model to study this widely conserved process. To find out more about the story, we met the paper's two first authors, Qiongxuan Lu and Yuan Gao, and their supervisor Bo Dong, Professor at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, China., (© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Optic cup development involves a series of intricate cell and tissue movements, and cells' interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is known to play an important role. However, the details of how ECM components work in eye development, and where they come from, is still poorly understood, and is the subject of a new Development paper that takes advantage of live imaging in zebrafish embryos. We caught up with first author Chase Bryan and his supervisor Kristen Kwan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, to find out more about the story., (© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Cortical development involves a switch from the self-amplification of stem cells to the generation of neuron and glia by progenitors. A new paper in Development investigates the molecular control of mitosis in these two stages, using simultaneous labelling and gene knockout in clones in the developing mouse brain. We caught up the paper's two authors Caroline Johnson and her supervisor Troy Ghashghaei, Professor of Neurobiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, to find out more., (© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Dysregulated activity of cell surface proteolytic enzymes has a wide range of developmental and pathological consequences, but the underlying mechanisms are often poorly understood. A new Development paper uses mice to model a severe inherited form of enteropathy and the role of the serine protease matriptase in the disease's progression. We caught up with first author Roman Szabo and his supervisor Thomas Bugge, Senior Investigator at the NIH National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in Bethesda, Maryland, to find out more about the story., (© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Animal cytokinesis is driven by an actomyosin ring that assembles at the cell equator and constricts to physically separate the two daughters. Although myosin is known to be essential for cytokinesis in multiple systems, whether this requirement reflects its motor or actin crosslinking activities has recently been a matter of contention. A new paper in Development now addresses this problem using the first divisions of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo as a model. We caught up with the paper's three first authors Daniel Osório, Elaine Chan and Joana Saramago, and their supervisor Ana Carvalho, Principal Investigator at the University of Porto's i3S consortium, to find out more about the story., (© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Heart development in mammals is a beautifully complex process. Patterning, proliferation and differentiation are all coordinated with cell movements and tissue morphogenesis (for instance elongation, fusion, folding, looping). However, our knowledge of the molecular regulators of heart development currently outstrips what we know about the morphogenetic processes that create the functional structure. A new paper in Development seeks to understand tissue-level morphogenesis - and its molecular control - in the mouse secondary heart field. We caught up with first author Ding Li and his postdoctoral advisor Jianbo Wang, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to find out more about the paper., (© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Vascular development critically involves pruning, which helps to remodel an immature network containing excess microvessels into a mature and functioning one. The mechanisms of vascular remodelling and the relationship between the endothelial cells and the other cell types with which they are closely associated are, however, currently poorly understood. A new Development paper now demonstrates a crucial role for oxygen sensing by astrocytes in vascular remodelling of the mouse retina. We caught up with the two-author team behind the paper: research associate Li-Juan Duan and her supervisor Guo-Hua Fong, Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut Health Center, to hear more about the story., (© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Background: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in using extracellular vesicles (EVs) as potential therapeutic agents or natural drug delivery systems in kidney-related diseases. However, a detailed and targeted report on the current condition of extracellular vesicle research in kidney-related diseases is lacking. Therefore, this prospective study was designed to investigate the use of bibliometric analysis to comprehensively overview the current state of research and frontier trends on extracellular vesicle research in kidney-related diseases using visualization tools.Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database was searched to identify publications related to extracellular vesicle research in kidney-related diseases since 1999. Citespace, Microsoft Excel 2019, VOSviewer software, the R Bibliometrix Package, and an online platform were used to analyze related research trends to stratify the publication data and collaborations.Results: From 1 January 1999 to 26 June 2022, a total of 1,122 EV-related articles and reviews were published, and 6,486 authors from 1,432 institutions in 63 countries or regions investigated the role of extracellular vesicles in kidney-related diseases. We found that the number of articles on extracellular vesicles in kidney-related diseases increased every year. Dozens of publications were from China and the United States. China had the most number of related publications, in which the Southeast University (China) was the most active institution in all EV-related fields. Liu Bi-cheng published the most papers on extracellular vesicles, while Clotilde Théry had the most number of co-citations. Most papers were published by The International Journal of Molecular Sciences, while Kidney International was the most co-cited journal for extracellular vesicles. We found that exosome-related keywords included exosome, exosm, expression, extracellular vesicle, microRNA, microvesicle, and liquid biopsy, while disease- and pathological-related keywords included biomarker, microRNA, apoptosis, mechanism, systemic lupus erythematosus, EGFR, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease. Acute kidney disease (AKI), CKD, SLE, exosome, liquid biopsy, and extracellular vesicle were the hotspot in extracellular vesicle and kidney-related diseases research.Conclusion: The field of extracellular vesicles in kidney-related disease research is rapidly growing, and its domain is likely to expand in the next decade. The findings from this comprehensive analysis of extracellular vesicles in kidney-related disease research could help investigators to set new diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic ideas or methods in kidney-related diseases.

In Italy, recent legislation (Law No. 10/2020) has tuned regulations concerning the donation of one's postmortem body and tissues for study, training, and scientific research purposes. This study discusses several specific issues to optimise the applicability and effectiveness of such an important, novel regulatory setting. Some of these unsolved issues may involve the grantees of teaching and training activities, the role of academic anatomical institutes, the role of family members in the donation process, the universal time limit indicated for any donation, the handling of corpses, and the limited body donation and its subordination to the donation of organs and tissues. Critical issues arise concerning the learners, the type of training and teaching activities that can be planned, the position of academic anatomy institutes, the role of family members in the donation process, the time frame of the donation process, the eligibility of partial donation, or the simultaneous donation of organs and tissues to patients awaiting transplantation. In particular, a universal time limit for donations (i.e., one year) makes it impossible to plan the long-term use of specific body parts, which could be effectively preserved for the advanced teaching and training of medical students and surgeons. The abovementioned conditions lead to the limited use of corpses, thus resulting in the inefficiency of the whole system of body donation. Overall, the donors' scope for the donation of their body could be best honoured by a more flexible and tuneable approach that can be used on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, it is deemed necessary to closely monitor the events scheduled for corpses in public nonacademic institutions or private enterprises. This paper presents useful insights from Italian anatomists with the hope of providing inspiration for drafting the regulations. In conclusion, this paper focuses on the critical issues derived from the recently introduced Italian law on the donation and use of the body after death and provides suggestions to lawmakers for future implementations.

The article presents the main themes of journalistic texts probably written by Helena Radlińska, and published on the pages of the underground magazine ‘Pismo Młodych’ addressed to the Gray Ranks Assault Groups. The selected topics, referring to the main concepts of Radlińska’s social pedagogy, were distinguished as a result of a qualitative content analysis. The synthesis of the content addressed to the fighting youth and their instructors, leads to a conclusion regarding the generational message that Radlińska directed to the younger generation fighting against the invader during World War II. The text reveals a less known part of the journalistic work of the scientist from the war period. Artykuł prezentuje główne tematy tekstów publicystycznych, napisanych prawdopodobnie przez Helenę Radlińską na łamach pisma konspiracyjnego „Pismo Młodych”, adresowanego do Grup Szturmowych Szarych Szeregów. Wyłonione tematy, odwołujące się do głównych pojęć pedagogiki społecznej Radlińskiej, zostały wyodrębnione w efekcie przeprowadzonej jakościowej analizy treści. Synteza treści adresowanych do młodzieży walczącej i ich instruktorów prowadzi do konkluzji dotyczącej przekazu pokoleniowego, jaki Radlińska kierowała do młodszej generacji walczącej z okupantem podczas II wojny światowej. Tekst odsłania mniej znaną kartę twórczości publicystycznej uczonej z okresu wojennego.