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Explorations of the current attitudes and practices of dietitians regarding the gut microbiota in health are scarce. In this online survey, we assessed the attitudes and practices of dietitians across Europe concerning gut microbiome parameters and the manipulation of the gut microbiota. Pre-graduate dietetic students and other professionals were also invited to participate. The potential interest and preferences of the participants for future educational initiatives about the gut microbiota and the educational resources used were further explored. A total of 179 full responses were recorded (dietitians, n = 155), mainly from the southern and western regions. Most of the participants (>90.0%) believed that probiotics and prebiotics have a place in nutritional practice and that fermented foods with live microbial cultures should be a part of food-based dietary guidelines. A strong belief in the beneficial roles of probiotics and prebiotics in some health situations was also reported among the participants. Most of the dietitians recognised the importance of gut microbiota manipulation and advised the use of probiotics and prebiotics in dietary practice, and they felt quite confident applying the relevant information in their daily practice. Nevertheless, misconceptions were identified, and further guideline-oriented education is necessary. The interest in future e-learning initiatives was high among the participants, and the sources of knowledge, educative formats, and potential areas for further educational efforts were indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to abiotically formed carbonates, biogenetic carbonates have been observed to be nanocomposite, organo-mineral structures, the basic build-blocks of which are particles of quasi-uniform size (10–100 nm) organized into complex higher-order hierarchical structures, typically with highly controlled crystal-axis alignments. Some of these characteristics serve as criteria for inferring a biological origin and the state of preservation of fossil carbonate materials, and to determine whether the biomineralization process was biologically induced or controlled. Here we show that a calcium storage structure formed by the American lobster, a gastrolith initially consisting of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), post-mortem can crystallize into (thus secondary) calcite with structural properties strongly influenced by the inherited organic matrix. This secondary calcite meets many structural criteria for biominerals (thus called the biomorphic calcite), but differs in trace element distributions (e.g., P and Mg). Such observations refine the capability to determine whether a fossil carbonates can be attributed to biogenic processes, with implications for the record of life on Earth and other terrestrial planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polychaete borings Caulostrepsis taeniola, Caulostrepsis cretacea, Caulostrepsis avipes, Caulostrepsis penicillus isp. nov., Maeandropolydora elegans, Maeandropolydora sulcans, Sulcichnus sigillum, the bryozoan boring Pinaceocladichnus onubensis and the phoronid boring Talpina cf. hackberryensis occur in coralla of the solitary scleractinian coral Ceratotrochus (Edwardsotrochus) duodecimcostatus in the upper Pliocene middle/lower neritic to upper bathyal fine-grained deposits of NE Tunisia. This very rich assemblage of borings is produced in vivo as suggested by (i) their occurrence close to the surface and mostly in the upper part of coralla (Caulostrepsis ispp., M. elegans), even if they are known to penetrate deeply in the substrate, or (ii) evidence of corallum deformation in response to the boring action (Sulcichnus sulcans). The remaining borings were probably produced post mortem; they penetrate deeply into the corallum (M. sulcans) or always occur shallowly in the substrate (Talpina) and, in addition, cross cut other borings (Pinaceocladichnus). The polychaete borings are dominant. The abundance of the borings is probably caused by ecological pressure from shallower zones in subtropical waters. This resulted in the colonization of hard, small-sized substrates located in relatively deep (offshore) waters. The interpretation of age and palaeoenvironment was elucidated by the analysis of benthic and planktonic foraminifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author describes the concept of the Parental Alienation Syndrome introduced in 1985 by Richard Gardner. Gives examples of disorders occurring in a child due to parents' divorce. Forcing a child by one of the parents to reject the other and setting them against him is a form of psychological abuse and may cause irreversible damage to the bond with the rejected parent and, as a consequence, may lead to changes in the child's psyche. The author also lists the features that should be characterized by therapists working with PAS cases. Analyzes reports prepared by the Ministry of Justice on decisions concerning contacts of alienated parents with a child. Parental alienation syndrome can have serious effects in a child in his teenage and adult life. The author of the article gives examples of how parental alienation contributes to the emergence of serious health and developmental disorders as well as emotional problems among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embryological researches of an invasive plant Rudbeckia laciniata focused on the process of megasporogenesis, female gametophyte formation, and fertilization. A disturbed first meiotic division results in the formation of restitution nucleus. In some megaspore mother cells micronuclei or vacuoles were observed near the restitution nucleus. Different course of megasporogenesis led to the development of unreduced embryo sacs with various organization which is reflected in the embryo formation and capacity of seed germination. Our research confirmed the occurrence of hemigamy in the Polish representatives of R. laciniata. In spite of a reduced germination capacity of R. laciniata seeds, their production allows a long-distance dispersal and expansion of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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