Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems, including elevated blood glucose, intestinal dysbiosis, villous shortening, decreased enzyme activity and hepatic steatosis. Here, we investigate the protective effects of the magnesium-L-theanine (Mg-T) combination on chronic variable stress (CVS)-induced liver and intestinal damage. Fifty-six rats were divided into two groups: normal and stressed, and supplemented with different doses of Mg-T (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg). The results showed that CVS-treated rats had reduced body weight, serum insulin levels, magnesium levels, intestinal barrier proteins and nutrient transporters. However, Mg-T supplementation improved these parameters in a dose-dependent manner. Mg-T treatment reduced CVS-induced glucose, corticosterone and triglyceride levels while alleviating liver and intestinal damage. Histological analysis revealed that Mg-T alleviated CVS-induced intestinal damage, characterised by villus shortening, reduced crypt depth and inflammation. CVS-induced increases in hepatic triglycerides and lipogenic markers (SREBF1, FASN) were attenuated by Mg-T supplementation, while metabolic regulators such as PPARγ and SIRT-1 were upregulated. Moreover, Mg-T restored the expression of intestinal barrier proteins (Claudin-1, Occludin, ZO-1) and mucosal protein (MUC-2). CVS treatment reduced the expression of nutrient transporters (SGLT1, GLUT2) and amino acid carriers; however, Mg-T supplementation increased the protein levels of these markers. Our data demonstrate that Mg-T has significant protective effects against CVS-induced metabolic, hepatic and intestinal disturbances, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic intervention for managing chronic stress-related health problems.

Evidence for parasites in the fossil record is rare. As such, any examples present insight into parasitism in deep time. Trilobites have often been used for documenting parasites in the Paleozoic. Here we examine an Illaenus sp. pygidium from the Middle Ordovician of Estonia that displays thirteen small structures with domical to crater-like shapes. These morphologies are consistent with circular depressions on the pygidium inner surface. We propose that these structures formed while the trilobite was alive and record an infestation located within soft tissue. The trace maker seems to have influenced pygidial mineralization and caused a pathological reaction. The symbiont may have been capable of bioerosion, excavating these depressions by dissolving the trilobite’s mineral tissues; however, this scenario is less likely considering comparisons with syndromes and pathologies known in modern arthropods. The parasitic organism may have fed on the trilobite’s tissues or utilized nutrients within the trilobite’s body for growth. These observations are consistent with a parasitic organism.

Neonatal growth assessment during the first 28 days of life is a critical determinant of infant health and survival. Anthropometric measurements provide a simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive means to evaluate neonatal size, nutritional status, and growth, as well as to predict long-term health outcomes. Alongside standard growth curves, methods for assessing neonatal body composition offer additional insights into fat and fat-free mass distribution, which are linked to later risks such as childhood obesity and metabolic complications. This review summarizes the commonly used anthropometric measures and advanced laboratory techniques for assessing neonatal growth and body composition, discusses their advantages and limitations, and highlights the importance of their combined use in clinical and research settings. Understanding these methods is essential for early identification of growth disturbances and for promoting optimal nutrition and health outcomes throughout the life course.

Does increasing descriptive representation enhance substantive representation? While ethnic minorities are generally underrepresented in legislatures worldwide, they are overrepresented in China’s National People’s Congress. We show that overrepresentation of ethnic legislators does not result in greater substantive representation. Compared to their Han counterparts, ethnic minority legislators are less likely to sponsor bills, show no significant difference in submitting policy suggestions, and are reticent to propose legislation on ethnic issues. They face challenges in mobilizing sufficient signatures for bill sponsorship within delegations and in building cross-delegation policy coalitions. Ethnic fragmentation may hinder their ability to advance the policy agenda. Our findings suggest that institutional constraints and collective action problems may hinder ethnic legislators from achieving substantive representation.

A total of 12 ostracodes species belonging to 10 genera are reported for the first time from the lower Pliocene Takikawa Formation in Takikawa City, Hokkaido, northern Japan. The ostracode fauna of the formation includes both cryophilic and circumpolar species. Cryophilic species are Baffinicythere robusticostata Irizuki, 1996, Neomonoceratina tsurugasakensis (Tabuki, 1986), and Yezocythere hayashii Hanai and Ikeya, 1991, and circumpolar species are Palmenella limicola (Norman, 1867) and Semicytherura mainensis (Hazel and Valentine, 1969). The co-occurrence of cryophilic and circumpolar species suggests that the marine environment was strongly influenced by extremely cold water masses. The species diversity and equitability of the fossil ostracode assemblages indicate that the depositional topography was the inner area of a bay. One new genus and one new species, Woodeltia sorapuchiensis new genus new species, are described. This new genus occurred in a temperate environment in Japan, in the early Miocene. In the early Pliocene, Woodeltia adapted to cold environmental conditions in Hokkaido. We hypothesize that Woodeltia sorapuchiensis is an important species for Woodeltia, showing the group’s adaptation to cold environments and migration to the coast of North America.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/144937f5-1161-42a9-9cc1-5c652cdb88b3

Understanding the legacies of wartime violence is essential for explaining postwar dynamics and informing policy. I present a meta-analysis of 172 quantitative studies across more than 50 countries, assessing the effects of wartime violence on 22 outcomes spanning four broad areas: (a) civic and political engagement, prosociality, and trust; (b) attitudinal hardening toward wartime enemies; (c) identification with one’s own wartime-aligned group; and (d) generalized attitudinal hardening. The analysis reveals mixed effects on engagement, prosociality, and trust: while violence increases some forms of participation, it does not promote voting, trust, or altruism. In contrast, wartime violence consistently heightens hostility toward former adversaries and strengthens in-group identification and favoritism. However, I find little evidence of broader hardening toward actors not directly involved in the conflict. These results challenge optimistic claims that war fosters cohesion and underscore the need for interventions that reduce intergroup hostility, rebuild cross group-trust, and support reconciliation.

Let $G = X \wr H$ be the wreath product of a nontrivial finite group X with k conjugacy classes and a transitive permutation group H of degree n acting on the set of n direct factors of Xn. If H is semiprimitive, then $k(G) \leq k^n$ for every sufficiently large n or k. This result solves a case of the non-coprime k(GV) problem and provides an affirmative answer to a question of Garzoni and Gill for semiprimitive permutation groups. The proof does not require the classification of finite simple groups.