BACKGROUND: The method of continual determination of the rat blood cholinesterase activity was developed to study the changes of the blood cholinesterases following different intervetions. AIMS: The aim of this study is registration of cholinesterase activity in the rat blood and its changes to demonstrate detoxification capacity of rats to inactivate sarin or VX in vivo. METHODS: The groups of female rats were premedicated (ketamine and xylazine) and cannulated to a. femoralis. Continual blood sampling (0.02 ml/min) and monitoring of the circulating blood cholinesterase activity were performed. Normal activity was monitored 1-2 min and then the nerve agent was administered i.m. (2×LD50). Using different time intervals of the leg compression and relaxation following the agent injection, cholinesterase activity was monitored and according to the inhibition obtained, detoxification capacity was assessed. RESULTS: Administration of sarin to the leg, then 1 and 5 min compression and 20 min later relaxation showed that further inhibition in the blood was not observed. On the other hand, VX was able to inhibit blood cholinesterases after this intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that sarin can be naturally detoxified on the contrary to VX. Described method can be used as model for other studies dealing with changes of cholinesterases in the blood following different factors. and J. Bajgar, J. Cabal, J. Kassa, M. Pavlík
We obtain the natural diagonal almost product and locally product structures on the total space of the cotangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold. Studying the compatibility and the anti-compatibility relations between the determined structures and a natural diagonal metric, we find the Riemannian almost product (locally product) and the (almost) para-Hermitian cotangent bundles of natural diagonal lift type. Finally, we prove the characterization theorem for the natural diagonal (almost) para-Kählerian structures on the total space of the cotangent bundle.
The natural diet of two different common carp (Cyprinus carpio) phenotypes (mirror and scaly) was studied in earth ponds in the Czech Republic. The proportion of different items was assessed through analysis of gut contents in order to establish differences and similarities between the phenotypes. In addition, temporal changes through the growing season, the influence of fish weight on proportion of main items ingested and the relationship between gut content and natural food availability was also assessed. The results showed no difference in feeding behaviour between mirror and scaly carp, the two phenotypes displaying a diet overlap of around 0.8.
A shift in food resources from benthic to planktonic organisms was observed between early and late summer, which was reflected in changes in electivity index for some taxa. Fish weight did not influence the proportion of organisms ingested. No correlation was found between natural food in the pond and that in the gut, any variation in diet probably reflecting the microhabitats in which individual carp choose to feed.
Morphometric analysis of 176 natural samples of A. grossulariae Kaltenbach, 1843 and A. schneideri (Börner, 1940) was performed, using 308 alate and 750 apterous viviparous females from 25 countries altogether. Morphologically intermediate specimens of presumably hybrid origin were noticed in 63 (35.79%) samples, comprising 12.67% of all apterous and 4.87% of all alate viviparae studied. 31 sample originating from 11 countries had 50% or more intermediate specimens of one or both morphs. "Rich" samples (having 4 or more specimens of the same morph) with the prevailing numbers of hybrid morphotypes were from the Netherlands, Russia (Moscow and Stavropol regions), Moldova, Turkey (Ankara) and Tajikistan (Dushanbe). Present data are discussed in the context of possible natural hybridisation between A. grossulariae and A. schneideri (see also Rakauskas, 1999a, 1999b). Canonical discrimination functions are being advocated as more powerful tools for separating between the two species when compared with single morphological characters or ratios commonly used in the keys.
We investigated the genotypes of Cryptosporidium infecting red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris L.) in two areas of the Western Alps in Italy. Examination of 141 faecal samples from 70 red squirrels revealed oocysts of Cryptosporidium in 17 animals (24.3%). Based on 18S rRNA gene sequencing, two genotypes of Cryptosporidium species were found: 15 squirrels were positive for the Cryptosporidium ferret genotype and 2 for the Cryptosporidium chipmunk genotype I. The occurrence and intensity of Cryptosporidium infection did not differ between the study areas or sex. More than 85% of the positive animals were adults; however no difference was found between Cryptosporidium infection in the juvenile and adult age groups. Oocysts of the Cryptosporidium ferret genotype measured 5.5 ± 0.3 × 5.2 ± 0.2 µm (shape index 1.06) and the Cryptosporidium chipmunk genotype I 5.8 ± 0.3 × 5.4 ± 0.3 µm (shape index 1.07). Neonatal and adult CD1 and BABL/c mice inoculated with 1 × 103 fresh oocysts of both genotypes did not produce detectable infection.
Let $A$ be a Weil algebra. The bijection between all natural operators lifting vector fields from $m$-manifolds to the bundle functor $K^A$ of Weil contact elements and the subalgebra of fixed elements $SA$ of the Weil algebra $A$ is determined and the bijection between all natural affinors on $K^A$ and $SA$ is deduced. Furthermore, the rigidity of the functor $K^A$ is proved. Requisite results about the structure of $SA$ are obtained by a purely algebraic approach, namely the existence of nontrivial $SA$ is discussed.
Cardiovascular disease, while rare in women of reproductive age, is the main cause of mortality in menopause. The purpose of our study was to determine the association of natural menopause with cardiovascular risk factors, including their clustering into metabolic syndrome (MS). A random 5 % representative population sample of women aged 45-54 years was examined. In 575 women, we were able to determine their natural reproductive aging status. Multiple regression analysis was used to calculate the association between age, menopausal status, and risk factors under study. After adjustment for age, there was an increase in the odds ratio of developing MS, as defined by NCEP (OR=2.0; 95 % CI [1.1; 3.7]), and an increase in plasma lipid ratios (total cholesterol/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, apolipoprotein-B/ apolipoprotein-A1; p<0.05 for all) in postmenopausal women. Age, but not menopausal status, was associated with some single components of MS; only waist circumference significantly increased after menopause, independently of age. Clustering of risk factors in MS and lipid ratios (combined factors) was strongly associated with menopause whereas worsening of single components of MS was strongly associated with age. In conclusion, based on our results, the menopause may pose a risk to women through clustering of cardiovascular risk factors beyond simple aging., M. Lejsková ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury