The morphology of the scoleces of 11 Proteocephalus species, parasites of freshwater fish in the Palaearctic Region, was compared using light and scanning electron microscopy. The following taxa were evaluated: Proteocephalus ambiguus (Dujardin, 1845); P. cernuae (Gmelin, 1790); P. exiguus La Rue, 1911; P. filicollis (Rudolphi, 1802); P. macrocephalus (Creplin, 1825); P. osculatus (Goeze, 1782); P. percae (Müller, 1780); P. pollunicola Gresson, 1952; P. sagitlus (Grimm, 1872); P. thymalli (Annenkova-Chlopina, 1923); and P. torulosus (Batsch, 1786). Some features as overall shape of the scolex, its size, shape and size of an apical sucker were found to be fairly stable and species-specific. The taxa more easily distinguishable from congeners on the basis of their scolex morphology were P. cernuae, P. macrocephalus, P. osculatus, P. percae and P. torulosus. The taxonomic importance of the scolex is discussed.
Kolorektální karcinom (KRK) je druhým nejčastějším zhoubným onemocněním v České republice. Většinu KRK tvoří tzv. sporadická forma a pouze 14–19 % vzniká na základě vrozené predispozice. Vzhledem k relativně dlouhému času kancerogeneze je možné v rámci screeningu detekovat a včas odstranit premaligní léze, a zabránit tak vzniku KRK. Screening kolorektálního karcinomu v České republice prochází kontinuálním vývojem a jeho základními nástroji jsou aktuálně imunochemické testy na okultní krvácení do stolice s kolonoskopií v případě jejich pozitivity a primární screeningová kolonoskopie. Od ledna 2014 došlo k zavedení adresného zvaní občanů mladších 70 let k účasti na programu. Jedinci s vyšším rizikem kolorektální neoplázie jsou sledováni v rámci dispenzárních programů., Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common malignant disease in the Czech Republic. Most CRCs are sporadic and only 14–19 % are associated with a genetic predisposition. Due to the relatively long carcinogenesis, premalignant lesions can be detected by screening and removed in time and CRC can thus be prevented. Colorectal cancer screening in the Czech Republic is undergoing continuous development. The basic tools currently used are either an immunochemical faecal occult blood test and a colonoscopy in the case of test positivity, or a primary screening colonoscopy. Since January 2014, citizens under the age of 70 have been actively invited to participate in the program. Patients with a higher risk of colorectal neoplasia are monitored within the dispensary programs., and Vojtěchová G., Suchánek Š., Grega T., Májek O., Dušek L., Zavoral M.
Nejčastější prekancerózní léze kolorektálního karcinomu představují sporadické adenomy. Přesnost a výtěžnost kolonoskopie do značné míry závisí na dobré přípravě, pečlivém prohlížení střeva a také na použití kvalitních přístrojů. V textu jsou popsány možnosti endoskopického a chirurgického řešení prekanceróz. V roce 2014 bylo v ČR zahájeno adresné zvaní, od nějž se očekává zvýšení doposud spíše nízkého pokrytí screeningem kolorektálního karcinomu., The most common premalignant lesions od colorectal carcinoma include sporadic adenomas. Precision and yield of colonoscopy depend substantially on good preparation, careful screening of intestine and use of new instruments of better quality. The text briefly describes options of endoscopic and surgical treatment of premalignancies. In 2014, a system of personalised invitations to cancer screening was launched, which is expected to increase rather low coverage by colorectal cancer screening in the Czech Republic., Milana Šachlová, Ondřej Májek, and Literatura
Relatively few effective compounds are available for treating microsporidiosis in humans. In this study, several compounds were assayed for activity against Encephalitozoon intestinalis (Cali, Kotier et Orenstein, 1993) and Vittaforina corneae Shadduck, Meccoli, Davis ct Font, 1990 in vitro. Of the benzimidazoles tested, albendazole was most effective and the MIC50 values were 8.0 ng/ml and 55.0 ng/ml for E. intestinalis and V. corneae, respectively. Fumagillin and its analogue, TNP-470 were nearly equally effective against both E. intestinalis and V. comeae. The MIC50 values of fumagillin were 0.52 ng/ml and 0.81 ng/ml, and the MIC5() values of TNP-470 were 0.35 ng/ml and 0.38 ng/ml for E. intestinalis and V. comeae, respectively. In addition, 12 of 44 purines and pteridines with putative tubulin binding activity that were synthesized at Southern Research Institute (SRI), inhibited microsporidia) replication by more than 50% at concentrations that were not toxic to the host cells. Several chitin synthesis/assembly inhibitors inhibited growth of the microsporidia in vitro but were toxic for the host cells making it difficult to interpret the results. One exception was Iufcnuron, which caused no significant toxicity to the host cells and expressed approximate MICS0 values of 2.95 pg/ml and 6.3 pg/ml against E. intestinalis and V. comeae, respectively. These results warrant further studies on albendazole, fumagillin, TNP-470, lufenuron, and the selected SRI purines and pteridines for developing therapeutic strategies for microsporidiosis.
Glucokinase (GCK) plays a key role in glucose metabolism. GCK mutations are known as a pathogenic cause of maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 2 (MODY2). These mutations are also found in gestational diabetics. The aim of our study was to assess the variability of the GCK gene in the Czech diabetic and control populations. We screened all 10 exons specific for the pancreatic isoform of glucokin ase (1a and 2-10) including the intron flanking regions in 722 subjects (in 12 patients with an unrecognised type of MODY and their 10 family members, 313 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), 141 gestational diabetics (GDM), 130 healthy offspring of diabetic parents, and 116 healthy controls without family history of DM2). In two MODY families we identified two mutations in exon 2 of the GCK gene: a novel mutation Val33Ala and the previously described mutation Glu40Lys. In other subgroups (excluding MODY families) we detected only intronic variants and previously described polymorphisms in exons 6 (Tyr215Tyr) and 7 (Ser263Ser), we did not find any known GCK pathogenic mutation. We observed no difference in the frequencies of GCK polymorphisms between Czech diabetic (DM2, GDM) and non- diabetic populations., P. Lukášová, J. Včelák, M. Vaňková, D. Vejražková, K. Andělová, B. Bendlová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
This article describes the evolution of our understanding of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in the Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe (CESE) region, and the dissemination of this understanding to other count ries. Using the ScreenPro FH project as an example, we would like to illustrate the progression from national objectives, to regional networking and, finally, to international collaboration via the Familial Hypercholesterolemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) project under the leadership of the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS). It is essential to improve our ability to diagnose FH. In this regard, the EAS and its FHSC project must be commended for their educational and organizational activities which, ab ove all, are dedicated to the creation of a global FH patient registry. In the CESE region, FH diagnostics and treatment situation are markedly different than in Western Europe or North America. Since the Czech MedPed project (Make Early Diagnoses to Preve nt Early Deaths in Medical Pedigrees) has been so successful (with results not only comparable to, but, for some parameters, even surpassing the results of many Western countries) we decided to apply the Czech experience to the CESE region. Thus, the ScreenPro FH project was created. The aim of ScreenPro FH is to create a specialist network in the CESE region. The primary objective of the ScreenPro FH project was to dramatically reduce the number of premature deaths due to clinical complications of atherosc lerosis in FH patients. At present, ScreenPro FH comprises 18 member countries with a total population of 500,000,000; which, in terms of the FH population, represents 1-2 million patients., R. Ceska, T. Freiberger, M. Vaclova, T. Aleksicova, L. Votavova, M. Vrablik., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Given the potential clinical benefit of inhibiting Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) activity dur ing myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R), pharmacological approaches have been pursued to both inhibit and clarify the importance of this exchanger. SEA0400 was reported to have a potent NCX selectivity. Thus, we examined the effect of SEA0400 on NCX currents and I/R induced intracellular Ca2+ overload in mouse ventricular myocytes using patch clamp techniques and fluorescence measurements. Ischemia significantly inhibited inward and outward NCX current (from -0.04±0.01nA to 0 nA at -100 mV; from 0.23±0.08 nA to 0.11±0.03 nA at +50 mV, n=7). Subsequent reperfusion not only restored the current rapidly but enhanced the current amplitude obviously, especially the outward currents (from 0.23±0.08 nA to 0.49±0.12 nA at +50 mV, n=7). [Ca2+]i, expressed as the ratio of Fura-2 fluorescence intensity, increased to 138±7 % (P<0.01) during ischemia and to 210±11 % (P<0.01) after reperfusion. The change of NCX current and the increase of [Ca 2+]i during I/R can be blocked by SEA0400 in a dose-dependent manner with an EC50 value of 31 nM and 28 nM for the inward and outward NCX current, respectively. The results suggested that SEA0400 is a potent NCX inhibitor, which can protect mouse cardiac myocytes from Ca2+ overload during I/R injuries., J. Wang, Z. Zhang, Y. Hu, X. Hou, Q. Cui, Y. Zang, C. Wang., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro sealing ability of three repair materials. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA; Group A), calcium phosphate cement (CPC; Group B), and light cured glass ionomer cement (GIC; Group C) when used to repair the perforation created in the pulpal floor of fifty extracted human permanent molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preparation of access openings and furcation perforations were done, and the teeth divided into five experimental groups (A, B, C) including two controls (D, E) with ten samples in each group randomly. Following the repair procedure, the pulp chambers and access openings were filled with composite resin and immersed in 2% methylene blue solution for 48 hours. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally and the linear dye penetration measured under a stereomicroscope. RESULTS: The comparison of the linear length of micro-leakage (mm) among the experimental groups revealed no significant difference (p = 0.332). On calculating the percentage of depth of leakage to the total length of the perforation, it was observed that the mean leakage was 35.5% in Group A, 53.6% in Group B and the highest, 87.5% in Group C. The mean of leakage percentage was statistically significant by Kruskal-Wallis test (p = 0.003). The results indicated that the dye penetration used as furcation perforation repair material was least with mineral trioxide aggregate. Comparing the depth of penetration of dye, 50% of the Group A samples showed less than 25% of depth penetration. While 40% of Group B cases had more than 50% dye penetration. In our study, all Group C teeth had > or = 50% dye penetration. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that GIC had the greatest dye penetration followed by CPC and MTA. Mineral trioxide aggregate and calcium phosphate cement had comparatively better sealing ability than glass ionomer cement. and P. Singh, J. Paul, AA. Al-Khuraif, S. Vellappally, HS. Halawany, M. Hashim, NB. Abraham, V. Jacob, R. Thavarajah
The seasonal activities of the European pigeon tick, Argas reflexus, in Berlin were investigated (a) by trapping locomotory active ticks and (b) by determining the occurrence of tick-invasions into human habitations. Tick trapping was carried out in two tick-infested attics in 1988. Pigeons were available for ticks in one of the attics only, while a previously existing bird colony was expelled from the other. Ticks were trapped by means of smooth V- shaped metal gutters cemented to the attic walls. Trapped nymphal and adult ticks were marked and released into cracks of the attic wall inside the rectangular traps in two-weck-intervals. During the one-year-study a total of 2081 ticks was trapped, 83% of which were larvae, 10% nymphs, 4% females and 3% males. Only 4.4% of the 366 ticks marked were recaptured. There is strong evidence that locomotor activities of A. reflexus were restricted to host-seeking and returning to a resting-site after a blood meal. Activities of all postembryonic stages peaked from March through early June, irrespective of whether or not hosts were available to the ticks. The immature stages displayed another peak of activity in late summer/autumn. A total of 51 cases of A. reflexus-infested buildings was reported from the public to public-health offices in Berlin from April 1989 to March 1993, 45 of which represented tick invasions into human habitations. About 60% of them occurred in spring, thus largely confirming the results of seasonal trapping.
The seasonal changes of the nematode Camallanus anabantis Pearse, 1933, in the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) from the freshwater swamps near Kalyani town, West Bengal, India were studied during the period from February 1988 to August 1989. The nematode exhibited a one-year cycle. Larvated females occurred in the fishes from October to February at a water temperature of 12“-29 °C. New infection of fishes occurred from February to May and occasionally in September. The fourth-stage larvae, the males, and the young females (without eggs), although irregularly, were found present throughout the year. Egg-laden females occurred in the fishes in August, October to February, and March.