Calcium is widely used to improve apple postharvest performance and reduce bitter pit development, but the mechanisms linking calcium accumulation with cold storage tolerance remain unclear. This study investigated calcium-mediated responses in peel and flesh tissues of two apple cultivars, ‘King Roat’ and ‘Golden Chief’, during harvest and cold storage. Repeated preharvest calcium applications increased calcium accumulation in both tissues, maintained fruit firmness, and markedly reduced bitter pit symptoms after cold storage. Integrated cell wall, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analysis showed that calcium protection extended beyond its classical structural role. Calcium reshaped pectin-, xyloglucan-, and arabinogalactan protein-associated cell wall domains in a cultivar- and tissue-dependent manner, supporting improved wall cohesion and reduced tissue destabilization. Metabolomic profiling revealed coordinated changes in carbohydrate, organic acid, lipid, phenolic, and glutathione-related pathways, consistent with metabolic adjustment during storage. Transcriptomic analysis in ‘King Roat’ further indicated that calcium repressed genes associated with cell wall loosening, flavonoid biosynthesis, and programmed cell death, while activating redox-related components. Among the validated genes, MdGRXC11L was consistently induced by calcium across cultivars, tissues, and storage stages, indicating a potential role for glutaredoxin-mediated redox recovery in calcium-associated protection. Overall, these findings support a model in which calcium reduces bitter pit expression by reinforcing cell wall cohesion, maintaining metabolic homeostasis, and promoting glutathione-linked redox regulation during cold storage, providing potential molecular targets for predicting and managing postharvest physiological disorders in apple.
The microbiome has been described as the last human “organ” and is currently the topic of great research interest worldwide. The application of culture-independent methods, like 16S ribosomal next-generation sequencing, has offered researchers the opportunity to identify bacterial populations that were impossible to detect previously using conventional culture methods. Further standardization of these new approaches to characterizing the microbiome is desirable. The present review discusses the mounting evidence suggesting that alterations in the microbiome and microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids in the gut, mouth, and ocular surface, may play a key role in the pathogenesis of ocular pathologies such as ocular surface disease, glaucoma, uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Clarifying the probable role of the microbiome in ocular diseases would not only offer valuable insights into pathogenesis but could also enable the development of novel therapeutic approaches. As yet, microbial-based therapeutic applications in ophthalmology are limited. Nevertheless, recently emerging strategies utilizing probiotics and prebiotics, or even fecal transplantation to regulate microbiome composition, offer promising research avenues for developing future innovative therapies for ocular diseases. Further studies employing standardized methodological protocols are needed to ensure the reproducibility of results and to eventually unlock the precise links between the microbiome and the eye.
Janus kinase inhibitors are increasingly used for the treatment of a wide range of dermatologic and non-dermatologic immune-mediated diseases, leading to growing interest in their safety profile, particularly with respect to cutaneous adverse events. This narrative review summarizes current evidence on dermatologic toxicities associated with both systemic and topical Janus kinase inhibitors. The most frequently reported cutaneous adverse event is an acne-like eruption, which shows a clear dose-dependent pattern and typically occurs early after treatment initiation. Cutaneous infections represent another major group of adverse events, with herpes zoster being the most clinically relevant. Less frequently, cutaneous malignancies have been reported, predominantly non-melanoma skin cancers, with a stronger signal observed in hematologic populations and in patients treated with ruxolitinib. Overall, dermatologic adverse events associated with Janus kinase inhibitors are usually manageable and rarely require permanent treatment discontinuation. Increased awareness, early recognition, and appropriate dermatologic management are essential to minimize morbidity and to support long-term treatment adherence across clinical settings.
Non-targeted fish species contribute significantly to the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems, but they remain largely understudied. In this study, species distribution models (SDMs) were applied using the MaxEnt algorithm to assess current and future habitat suitability for 103 non-targeted species in the Mediterranean Sea. Based on trawl survey data from 2010 to 2022, and nine environmental variables, SDMs were calibrated and projected under three climate change scenarios (SSP1-1.9, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5) for two future periods (2040-2050, 2090-2100). Among the environmental layers, depth, distance to the coast and sea bottom temperature explained most of the species' distribution. Results indicate a general decline in suitable habitats for 97% of the species, particularly under the high emissions scenario SSP5-8.5 by 2100, independent of habitat type, with slightly greater declines for higher-trophic level species. Several species are projected to be at high risk of local or regional extinction. Moreover, future species distributions exhibited large spatial shifts of the centroids compared to the present-day, mainly explained by the contraction of suitable habitats rather than by expansion to new areas. Areas in the central and eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea exhibited the highest levels of species turnover, indicating their potential higher vulnerability under climate change. These findings highlight the importance of integrating non-targeted species into conservation planning and fisheries management, as well as the need to prioritize areas that can sustain biodiversity in a rapidly changing Mediterranean ecosystem.
A series of new polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) based on the poly(ethylene succinate) (PESu) filled with 1 wt% of four types of nanoparticles (NPs), namely, silica (SiO2), montmorillonite (MMT), graphene oxide (GO), and carbon nanotubes (CNT), were synthesized by simple mixing routes and investigated. PESu could be preserved amorphous, enabling the identification of the filler effects imposed directly on molecular mobility, glass transition, interfacial interactions, and crystallization. The formation of an interfacial polymer fraction of 6%-22% was found in the PNCs, whereas the glass transition temperature barely changed (-16 degrees C to -14 degrees C). From the molecular dynamics mapping, the main direct filler effect on molecular dynamics was recorded on the increased kinetic fragility of the alpha relaxation in PNCs. The NPs were found to hinder nucleation and crystal development during melt-crystallization; nevertheless, they facilitated cold-crystallization. The latter was correlated with the facilitated fragility. The effects on crystallization were found to be stronger in the NP order SiO2 < MMT < GO < CNT, in general, which coincided with the order of the filler Aspect Ratio increasing. The PESu/CNT PNCs exhibited electrically conductive behavior, indicative of CNT percolation. The results were compared with those previously recorded on similar PNCs based on the unavoidably semicrystalline poly(butylene succinate).
