Biometric data are typically used for the purposes of unique identification of a person. However, recent research suggests that biometric data gathered for the purpose of identification can be analysed for extraction of additional information. This augments indicative value of biometric data. This paper illustrates the range of augmented indicative values of the data as well as identifies crucial factors that contribute to increased vulnerability of data subjects., Alžběta Krausová, Hananel Hazan, Ján Matejka., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
The retina is characterized by glycolysis under aerobic conditions, mediated by lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme-5 (LDH-5) as well as by the soluble isoenzyme of malate dehydrogenase. Bovine retina LDH and MDH isoenzymes and their activities were studied after polyamine treatment. Our results showed that LDH-5 isoenzyme presented the highest activity in untreated as well as in putrescine-treated retina. Decreased activity was present when the retina was treated with spermidine or spermine. It was demonstrated that retinic LDH-5 had a high affinity for lactate which enabled the isoenzyme to be more effective than the other LDH isoenzymes in the conversion of NADH to NAD. Therefore, the putrescine enhancing LDH-5 activity appeared to be capable of stimulating NAD-mediated rhodopsin regeneration. Putrescine induced a marked increase of both MDH isoenzymes - soluble (s-MDH) and mitochondrial (m-MDH), while spermine and spermidine mostly affected the soluble form of the enzyme. Putrescine induced a three-fold increase in s-MDH and m-MDH activities, while spermine and spermidine induced a four to five-fold increase in s-MDH. These results document the differential effects of polyamine treatment on LDH and MDH isoenzyme activities., I. Venza, A. Valenti, P. Ruggeri, L. Denaro, D. Teti., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Cíl: Cílem této práce je popis klinického obrazu pacientů s neuromyelitis optica a poruch jejího širšího spektra (NMO Spectrum Disorders; NMO SD) v České republice, včetně srovnání pacientů se začátkem onemocnění před 50. rokem života a po něm v kontextu výskytu longitudinálně extenzivní myelitis (LETM) a poškození zrakového nervu. Dalším cílem je hodnocení likvorových nálezů a séropozitivity protilátek proti akvaporinu‑4 (AQP4-IgG). Soubor a metodika: Byla provedena systematická retrospektivní analýza klinických a paraklinických nálezů 32 pacientů s NMO SD. Tloušťka nervových vláken sítnice (RNFL) každého oka byla měřena metodou optické koherentní tomografie. Tíže neurologického deficitu byla vyjádřena pomocí EDSS skóre. Výsledky: NMO SD častěji postihují ženy (8 : 1). Medián věku počátku onemocnění je 36 let. Medián délky trvání onemocnění je 10,5 roku. Medián EDSS skóre je 4,5 (rozmezí 1,0–8,5) a délky onemocnění 10,5 let (rozmezí 0,5–24). U 31 z 32 pacientů nacházíme AQP4-IgG v séru a jejich titr pozitivně koreluje s EDSS skóre. RNFL oka pravého (medián 63 ?m) a oka levého (medián 58 ?m) je sníženo pod dolní hranici normy (97 ?m) u 57 %, resp. 64 % pacientů. RNFL koreluje s délkou choroby. Myelitida jako první manifestace onemocnění je častější u pacientů starších 50 let (p < 0,05). Ve srovnání s remisí nacházíme v likvoru během relapsů vyšší koncentraci bílkoviny a počet elementů (p < 0,001; pro oba parametry). Závěr: LETM je typicky první klinickou manifestací NMO u pacientů starších 50 let a je spojena s těžkým neurologickým deficitem již v úvodu onemocnění., Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical picture of patients with NMO spectrum disorders (NMO SD) in the Czech Republic, including comparison of patients with disease onset before and after 50 years of age in the context of longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) and optic nerve involvement. Another objective was to evaluate cerebrospinal fluid samples and aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) seropositivity. Methods: A systematic retrospective analysis of clinical and paraclinical findings in 32 patients with NMO SD was performed. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in each eye was measured with optical coherence tomography. Severity of neurological deficit was expressed by the EDSS score. Results: NMO SD are more frequent in women (8 : 1). Median age of disease onset was 36 years. Median disease duration was 10.5 years. Median EDSS score was 4.5 (range 1.0–8.5) and median disease duration 10.5 years (range 0.5–24). AQP4-IgG were found in the serum of 31 out of the 32 patients and their titer positively correlated with the EDSS score. The RNFL thickness of the right eye (median 63 ?m) and the left eye (median 58 ?m) was below the lower limit of normal (97 ?m) in 57% and 64% of patients, respectively. The RNFL thickness correlated with the disease duration. Myelitis as the first manifestation of the disease was more frequent in patients older than 50 years (p < 0.05). Compared to remission, patients with a relapse had increased protein levels and element count in the cerebrospinal fluid (p < 0.001 for both parameters). Conclusion: LETM is typically the first clinical manifestation of NMO patients older than 50 years and is associated with severe neurological deficit at the early stages of the disease. Key words: neuromyelitis optica – antibodies against aquaporin-4 – longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study. The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE “uniform requirements” for biomedical papers., and P. Nytrová, P. Kleinová, J. Preiningerová Lízrová, V. Král, M. Hinďoš, M. Vaněčková, E. Havrdová, D. Horáková
In the highly sexual-dimorphic nocturnal moth, Acentria ephemerella Denis & Schiffermüller 1775, the aquatic and wingless female possesses a refracting superposition eye, whose gross structural organization agrees with that of the fully-winged male. The possession of an extensive corneal nipple array, a wide clear-zone in combination with a voluminous rhabdom and a reflecting tracheal sheath are proof that the eyes of both sexes are adapted to function in a dimly lit environment. However, the ommatidium of the male eye has statistically significantly longer dioptric structures (i.e., crystalline cones) and light-perceiving elements (i.e., rhabdoms), as well as a much wider clear-zone than the female. Photomechanical changes upon light/dark adaptation in both male and female eyes result in screening pigment translocations that reduce or dilate ommatidial apertures, but because of the larger number of smaller facets of the male eye in combination with the structural differences of dioptric apparatus and retina (see above) the male eye would enjoy superior absolute visual sensitivity under dim conditions and a greater resolving power and ability to detect movement during the day. The arrangement of the microvilli in the rhabdom of both genders suggests that their eyes are polarization-sensitive, an ability they would share with many aquatic insects that have to recognize water surfaces. Although sexual recognition in A. ephemerella is thought to chiefly rely on pheromones, vision must still be important for both sexes, even if the females are wingless and never leave their watery habitat. Females swim actively under water and like their male counterparts, which fly above the surface of the water, they would have to see and avoid obstacles as well as potential predators. This, together with a small incidence of winged females, we believe, could be the reason why the eyes of female A. ephemerella are less regressed than those of other sexually dimorphic moths, like for instance Orgyia antiqua. Another, but difficult to test, possibility is that male and female A. ephemerella have diverged in their behaviour and habitat preferences less long ago than other sexually dimorphic moths.
Cytochrome oxidase activity from the retina can be enhanced or depressed by free radical-mediated reactions both in positive and negative aspect. The greatest effect was exerted by ischemia/reperfusion, which significantly increased the fluorescent products of lipid peroxidation (358 %, P<0.01) and inhibited the enzyme activity (14 %, P<0.001). After hyperoxia the fluorescent products slightly increased (192 %, P< 0.05) as well as the enzyme activity (133 %, P<0.05). Hypoxia had no effect on any of these parameters. Specific changes in the composition of fluorophores after ischemia/reperfusion were revealed in the fluorescence spectra. The fact that increased lipid peroxidation after hyperoxia and after ischemia/reperfusion does not produce the same effect upon cytochrome oxidase activity might be explained by changes in the kinetic behavior of cytochrome oxidase. In the control enzyme preparation, two binding sites for cytochrome c were observed. One was of the low-affinity (Km=60 mM) and the other of the high-affinity (Km=1.12 mM). After in vitro-initiated lipid peroxidation, the low-affinity binding site was lost and the activity measured under "optimum" conditions at a single cytochrome concentration was higher than in the controls. This implies that oxidative damage to cytochrome oxidase in vivo can be site-specific and its extent should be estimated by performing detailed kinetic analysis as otherwise the results might be misleading., A. Šišková, J. Wilhelm., and Obsahuje bibliografii