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In twin pregnancy studies, molecular genetic techniques have rarely been used to determine zygosity, despite their known precision and accuracy. The present work aimed to assess the power of discrimination in zygosity assessment, using a set of microsatellite markers that were routinely used for aneuploidy screening by multiplex-PCR in a prenatal context. Rapid aneuploidy screening using a group of 20 microsatellite markers (STRs) located on chromosomes 13, 18, 21 and X has been performed in our lab for over 10 years, with a total of approximately 1,500 samples studied to date. A retrospective analysis of the 257 prenatal samples from multiple pregnancies was carried out. A subset of 14 cases presenting theoretical monozygosity were re-evaluated by the use of biostatistics tools accessed via the ZygProb website. Further monozygosity determination relative to dizygosity was calculated, given an estimated overall error value of 0.093%. The results show that monozygosity had been correctly determined in all our previously studied twins. This work demonstrates that accurate zygosity assessment can be achieved with the same STRs applied in aneuploidy screening with a high power of discrimination and a matching probability of over 99.999999%.

This research examined the acute effects of flexibility training with two different intensities on inflammation. Twenty-eight young military personnel males were randomised into two groups of 14 individuals each: Submaximal Stretching Group (SG) and Maximal Stretching Group (MG). The training routines were applied for each group and involved shoulder horizontal flexion, shoulder horizontal extension, hip flexion and hip extension. Basal blood samples were collected immediately after exercise and 24 h later in order to assess the inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, IL-10). Repeated measures ANOVA (2x3) for intragroup and intergroup comparisons with the adjusted Bonferroni post-hoc test was used. There was significant intergroup interaction (p< 0.05) with post-exercise CRP levels, which were significantly higher in the MG when compared to the SG (p= 0.035; Δ= 94%). There were no significant differences in IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations at any intergroup moment. The intragroup comparison showed a significant rise in IL-6 immediately after and 24 h after maximal stretching, with a significant difference (p< 0.05) 24 h after when compared to baseline (p= 0.008; Δ= 44.16%). These results suggest that maximal stretching promoted a higher acute inflammatory response when compared to submaximal stretching due to the greater intensity of the exercises.

13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables.-- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License ; The rapid, global spread of COVID-19, and the measures intended to limit or slow its propagation, are having major impacts on diverse sectors of society. Notably, these impacts are occurring in the context of other anthropogenic-driven threats including global climate change. Both anthropogenic stressors and the COVID-19 pandemic represent significant economic challenges to aquaculture systems across the globe, threatening the supply chain of one of the most important sources of animal protein, with potential disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. A web survey was conducted in 47 countries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess how aquaculture activities have been affected by the pandemic, and to explore how these impacts compare to those from climate change. A positive correlation between the effects of the two categories of drivers was detected, but analysis suggests that the pandemic and the anthropogenic stressors affect different parts of the supply chain. The immediate measurable reported losses varied with aquaculture typology (land vs. marine, and intensive vs. extensive). A comparably lower impact on farmers reporting the use of integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) methods suggests that IMTA might enhance resilience to multiple stressors by providing different market options under the COVID-19 pandemic. Results emphasize the importance of assessing detrimental effects of COVID-19 under a multiple stressor lens, focusing on areas that have already locally experienced economic loss due to anthropogenic stressors in the last decade. Holistic policies that simultaneously address other ongoing anthropogenic stressors, rather than focusing solely on the acute impacts of COVID-19, are needed to maximize the long-term resilience of the aquaculture sector. ; The Open Access publication of the MS was funded by M. Cristina Mangano FOE N. 418 at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (personal OA publication fund). People at Laboratory of Ecology have been found by the PRIN-MAHRES project (Ministry of Italian Research; MUR) 2017MHHWBN_003 Linea C and by the HARMONY Project Italy-Malta 2016 (grant C1-3.1-31) funded by the Sicilian Region and Maltese Government. A. Nogueira thanks FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds. J.M.F. Babarro thanks project PID2019-106008RB-C21 for support through Spanish Government funds ; Peer reviewed