While crypsis is a prominent antipredator adaptation, the role of brain in predator-driven evolution remains controversial. Resolving this controversy requires contextualizing with established traits and predation pressure. We hypothesize that reduced risk through relaxes predation-driven selection on provide comparative evidence across 102 Chinese frog species for our hypothesis. Specifically, phylogenetic path analysis reveals an indirect relationship between mediated by size. This result...

Sexual selection theory predicts a trade‐off between premating (ornaments and armaments) postmating (testes ejaculates) sexual traits, assuming that growing maintaining these traits is costly total reproductive investments are limited. The number of males in competition, the gains from investing level sperm competition all predicted to influence how allocate their finite resources traits. Yet, empirical examination predictions currently scarce. Here, we studied relative expenditure on pre‐...

Brain sizes vary substantially across vertebrate taxa, yet, the evolution of brain size appears tightly linked to life histories. For example, larger brained species generally live longer than smaller species. A requires more time grow and develop at a cost exceeded gestation period delayed weaning age. The slower development may be compensated by better homeostasis control increased cognitive abilities, both which should increase survival probabilities hence span. To date, this relationship...

Sexual dimorphism, a widespread phenomenon across the animal kingdom, encompasses differences between sexes in size, morphology, and physiological traits. In this study, we investigated sexual dimorphism flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscle, which is critical for amplexus Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans), using integrated transcriptomic metabolomic approaches. Male exhibited significantly larger FCR muscles, reflecting enhanced muscle function required sustained amplexus. Transcriptomic...

Objective This study aims to analyze and summarize the clinical characteristics of small intestinal adenomyosis. Methods A retrospective was conducted on children with adenomyosis at our center from 2014 2024. The age onset, gender, symptoms, auxiliary examination results, treatment plans, pathological tumors were recorded analyzed. Results Six cases male-to-female ratio 5:1. median 19 months, two-thirds affected being under 2 years old. Two identified in newborns during malrotation....

Inflammation-associated lymphangiogenesis (IAL) is frequently observed in inflammatory bowel diseases. IAL believed to limit inflammation by enhancing fluid and immune cell clearance. Although monocytes/macrophages (MΦ) are known contribute intestinal pathology disease, their role has never been studied mechanistically. We investigated contributions of monocytes/MΦ the development IAL.Because monocytes express CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2), we used CCR2 diphtheria toxin transgenic...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor with high risk of metastasis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be implicated in progression via regulating its nearby gene. Herein, we investigated the function GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) and lncRNA GATA2 antisense RNA 1 (GATA2-AS1) CRC mechanism underlying their interaction.Colony formation assay, flow cytometry analysis transwell assay were implemented detect cell proliferation, apoptosis invasion. Western blot...

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common structural birth defects, yet their etiology is poorly understood. As there heterogeneity within group of CHDs, epidemiologic studies often focus on subgroups, conditions, such as conotruncal (CTDs). However, even these subgroups may be etiologic heterogeneity. The aim present study was to identify and compare maternal infant characteristics associated with three CTDs: truncus arteriosus (TA), dextro‐transposition...

Environmental seasonality can promote the evolution of larger brains through cognitive and behavioral flexibility but also hamper it when temporary food shortage is buffered by stored energy. Multiple hypotheses linking brain with resource acquisition allocation have been proposed for warm-blooded organisms, remains unclear how these extend to cold-blooded taxa whose metabolism tightly linked ambient temperature. Here, we integrated across frogs toads in context varying brumation...

Climate change is a significant driver of changes in the distribution patterns species and poses threat to biodiversity, potentially resulting extinctions. Investigating potential rare endangered crucial for understanding their responses climate conservation biodiversity ecosystem management. The Szechwan rat snake (Euprepiophis perlacea) an endemic co-distributed with giant pandas, studying its contributes better pattern species. In this study, we confirmed seven presence points Yingjing...

Abstract Comparative gene expression analysis by qRT-PCR is commonly used to detect differentially expressed genes in studies of PCOS pathology. Impaired GC function strongly associated with pathogenesis, and a growing body has been dedicated identifying GCs patients healthy women qRT-PCR. It necessary validate the stability selected reference across tested samples for target normalization. We examined variability 15 from 44 45 using GeNorm, BestKeeper, NormFinder statistical algorithms....

Abstract Bergmann’s rule states that within a species of endotherms smaller individuals are found in warmer conditions, which is consistent for nearly all endotherms, while ectotherms body size patterns less consistent. As ectothermic vertebrates, the morphology amphibians likely impacted by climatic conditions. Here, we examined latitudinal variation ranid frog, Fejervarya limnocharis , based on literature and our own data mean 3637 from 50 populations average age 2873 40 China. The results...

Competition for fertilization in multi-male group spawning can drive variation male reproductive investment (i.e., testis mass and sperm size). Inter-population comparisons of energetic availability allocation along geographical gradients allow insights into the mechanisms shaping investments animals. Although inter-population differences female clutch size egg size) have been studied extensively across a wide range taxa, little information on males is available. Here, we altitudinal length...

Large-scale systematic patterns of body size are a basic concern evolutionary biology. Identifying variation along altitudinal gradients may help us to understand the evolution life history animals. In this study, we investigated in size, age and growth rate Chinese endemic frog, Pelophylax pleuraden. Data sampled from five populations covering an span 1413 1935 m Sichuan province revealed that did not co-vary with altitudes, following Bergmann's rule. Average adult SVL differed...

Hibernation is an effective energy conservation strategy that has been widely adopted by animals to cope with unpredictable environmental conditions. The liver, in particular, plays important role adaptive metabolic adjustment during hibernation. Mammalian studies have revealed many genes involved metabolism are differentially expressed the hibernation period. However, differentiation global gene expression between active and torpid states amphibians remains largely unknown. We analyzed...

4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) has long been considered a hazardous occupational chemical that promotes ovarian failure. However, VCD is also used as research compound to chemically induce animal models of premature insufficiency (POI), and in related work we unexpectedly found apparently exhibits both dose- duration-dependent opposing, hormone-like effects on the maintenance primordial follicle pool, development, ovulation induction. We conducted experiments with cultured murine ovaries...

Theory predicts that the degree of testes asymmetry should be positively correlated with male body condition in species directional testis asymmetry. We tested this prediction Rhacophorus omeimontis, a which females mate more than one male. Our results showed treefrogs did not exhibit absence size, but rather occurrence fluctuating Moreover, we also differences mass, asymmetry, and sperm size among initially paired, jointly unpaired males. found length differ three types. Testis mass...