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The European sea bass, a member of the Moronidae family, is a food fish, considered one of the first models for the intensive breeding in salt water. It has nowadays an important and increasing presence in the international fishing markets. Sea basses are carnivorous, feeding on little fishes and invertebrates. Considering the important role of the tongue during the intraoral transport and the swallowing of food, scarce data are present in literature about its morphology. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphology of the tongue by means of scanning electron and light microscopy. Adult sea basses were obtained from the aquarium of the Sicilian Center of Experimental Ichthyiopathology of the University of Messina. The fishes were anaesthetized with MS 222 and the heads were then quickly removed and processed for the paraffin embedding and SEM processing. Three different tongue regions could be distinguished: an apex, a body, and a root. Scanning electron and light microscopy showed the presence of numerous canine-like teeth, surrounded by taste buds and numerous fungiform and conical papillae. The teeth were curved and their tips were posteriorly oriented. The results confirm, in teleosts too, the fundamental role of the tongue in the mechanics of food ingestion. Moreover, the presence of taste buds demonstrates the interaction of food processing and taste. These data could be a potential source to identify new and better methods of nutrition in the breeding of this fish.

The HeLa cell line is one of the most popular cell lines in biomedical research, despite its well-known chromosomal instability. We compared the genomic and transcriptomic profiles of 4 different HeLa batches and showed that the gain and loss of genomic material varies widely between batches, drastically affecting basal gene expression. Moreover, different pathways were activated in response to a hypoxic stimulus. Our study emphasizes the large genomic and transcriptomic variability among different batches, to the point that the same experiment performed with different batches can lead to distinct conclusions and irreproducible results. The HeLa cell line is thought to be a unique cell line but it is clear that substantial differences between the primary tumour and the human genome exist and that an indeterminate number of HeLa cell lines may exist, each with a unique genomic profile.

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Despite satisfactory early and late survival, late functional outcome after myocardial revascularization in ischemic cardiomyopathy remains suboptimal because of recurrence or persistence of congestive failure. Selection of appropriate surgical candidates and extensive use of complete revascularization with the internal thoracic artery may substantially improve functional results.

The gilthead seabream is a food fish, one of the most frequently used in aquaculture. In the species of commercial interest, feeding in captivity is very important and this process is strictly related to the morphological characteristics of the oral cavity. The aim of this study is, using the standard procedures for light and scanning electron microscopy, to analyze the morphology of the tongue dorsal surface to show if relationships are present between the tongue morphology and the nutritional habits and choices of this farmed species. The main characteristic of the gilthead seabream oral cavity floor is the presence of an apical pouch, with, probably, a protective role mainly for the apical, free part of the tongue. Three zones, like in other teleosts, an apex, a body and a root, can be clearly distinguished. In the pouch foliate-like papillae were observed, while the whole tongue is characterized by the presence of two types of papillae, respectively with a fungiform and cylindroid aspect, both randomly distributed throughout the whole dorsal surface of the tongue. Scattered and numerous taste buds, with the typical pear-onion shape, together with small and numerous taste pores are also present, distributed throughout the tongue surface. Our results demonstrate that in the gilthead seabream important mechanic and sensory roles are carried out by specific anatomical structures. Our anatomical data could give, together with further biochemical and physiological data, an important support with the aim of improving the nutrition of aquaculture species.

The zebrafish is a common model for developmental studies including those regarding tooth, palate and tongue. Nevertheless, little information is available about the morphology of the oral cavity in this teleost, especially in adult animals. In this study we used light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy to describe in detail the morphology of the oral cavity of adult zebrafish. The oral cavity could be divided into three different zones: the outer containing the lips, the intermediate corresponding to the internal valves and the internal that corresponds to the tongue. In the upper and lower intermediate zones, there were semilunar shaped valves, more prominent in the upper part. The internal lower zones correspond to the palate and the tongue, which is an individualized structure filled with numerous transversal ridges. Both the intermediate and internal zones were covered by a stratified epithelium containing numerous mucous and rodlet cells. Present data provide the first description of the morphology and structure of the oral cavity in the adult zebrafish and might serve as a baseline for developmental studies of the oral cavity using this teleost as a model.