Autoimmune thyropathies are frequently linked to many infections, such as Helicobacter pylori, which are also supposed to play a role in their pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between thyroid and gastric autoimmunity and H. pylori infection on a large sample of Czech population (n=1621) by monitoring the autoantibodies against thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and gastric parietal cell (anti-GPC, representing thyrogastric syndrome) in correlation with antibodies against Helicobacter pylori (anti-H. pylori) of classes IgG and IgA. The interrelation between autoantibodies and H. pylori antibodies was assessed by H. pylori seropositivity. In H. pylori seropositive persons as compared to seronegative irrespective of age and sex, a higher occurrence of anti-TPO (10.4 % vs. 5.8 %, p=0.001) and anti-GPC (6.1 % vs. 1.7 %, p<0.001) was found. Differences in anti-TPO occurrence were significant in both men (7.0 % vs. 3.3 %, p=0.03) and women (12.7 % vs. 8.0 %, p=0.02), differences in anti-GPC occurrence were significant only in women (7.2 % vs. 1.7 %, p<0.001). Results of this study support the idea of a connection between infection of H. pylori and the occurrence of anti-TPO autoantibodies representing thyroid autoimmunity and gastric parietal cells autoantibodies representing the thyrogastric syndrome., I. Šterzl, P. Hrdá, P. Matucha, J. Čeřovská, V. Zamrazil., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) exert beneficial effects on health and they could help to prevent development of obesity and associated metabolic disorders. In our previous studies in mice fed high-fat (cHF; ~60 % calories as fat) diet and maintained at 20 °C, dietary LC n-3 PUFA could counteract accretion of body fat, without inducing mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in adipose tissue, suggesting that the anti-obesity effect was not linked to adaptive (UCP1- mediated) thermogenesis. To exclude a possible dependence of the anti-obesity effect on any mechanism inducible by cold, experiments were repeated in mice maintained at thermoneutrality (30 °C). Male C57BL/6J mice were fed either cHF diet, or cHF diet supplemented with LC n-3 PUFA, or standard diet for 7 months. Similarly as at 20 °C, the LC n-3 PUFA supplementation reduced accumulation of body fat, preserved lipid and glucose homeostasis, and induced fatty acid re-esterification in epididymal white adipose tissue. Food consumption was not affected by LC n-3 PUFA intake. Our results demonstrated anti-obesity metabolic effect of LC n-3 PUFA, independent of cold-induced thermogenesis and they suggested that induction of fatty acid re-esterification creating a substrate cycle in white fat, which results in energy expenditure, could contribute to the anti-obesity effect., P. Janovská, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Štúdia sa kriticky zaoberá diskurzívnymi aktivitami politikov a novinárov, ktorí slúžia ako modely pre imitáciu potvrdzovania, alebo naopak oponovania negatívnym stereotypom voči Rómom. Empiricky overuje tézu, že mediálny marketing politických strán zneužíva diskriminované a marginalizované skupiny na dosahovanie straníckych cieľov. Prostredníctvom kritickej systemickej lingvistiky analyzuje významové štruktúry predvolebného bilbordu, čím odhaľuje intencie komunikácie politickej strany s verejnosťou. Postupmi kritickej diskurzívnej analýzy mediálnych textov o anti-rómskom bilborde autorky identifikujú diskurzívne pozície rozmanitých aktérov, prípadne ich argumentačné stratégie, pričom kriticky reflektujú najmä asymetriu ich mediálnej prezentácie. Popisujú Diskuze / 401 sa spôsoby, akými parlamentná strana SNS implicitne (prostredníctvom bilbordu) a explicitne (vo svojich vyjadreniach) znevažuje celú etnickú skupinu. Z analýzy vyplýva, že hoci médiá uvádzajú názory rôznych diskurzívnych aktérov, v textoch chýba prezentácia argumentov, ktoré by pomohli širokej verejnosti pochopiť, prečo dehonestácia tejto stigmatizovanej skupiny je neprijateľná. Politické zneužívanie „rómskeho problému“ novinári demaskovali, avšak nevysvetlili negatívne dôsledky falošnej etnizácie nezamestnanosti, chudoby a verejnej dehonestácie Rómov., The study deals critically with discursive activities of politics and newspapermen which serve as models for imitation of confirmation or on the contrary of opposing the negative stereotypes against Roma. The thesis that the media marketing of political parties misuses the discriminated and marginalized groups for achieving the party goals is empirically verified. The meaning structures of pre-election billboard are analyzed by the means of critical systemic linguistics and thus reveals the intentions of communication of political party with the public. The authors identify the discursive positions of diverse participants, alternatively their argumentation strategies, and critically reflect especially the asymmetry of their media presentation by procedures of critical discursive analysis of media texts about the anti-Roma billboard. The ways how the parliament party SNS implicitly (through the billboard) and explicitly (in its statements) discredit the whole ethnic group are described. From the analysis follows that although media present the opinions of different discourse participants, the texts are lacking the presentation of arguments that could help the wide public to understand why the dehonestation of this stigmatized group is unacceptable. The political misuse of „Roma problem“ was unmasked by newspapermen but the negative consequences of false ethnic attribution of unemployment, poverty, and public dehonestation of Roma were not explained., Jana Plichtová, Vlasta Paholíková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The changes of the composition of blood lipoproteins caused by menopause could also change the effect of hypolipidemic therapy. Using an experimental model we studied the changes of serum lipids and the effect of immediate or delayed treatment with simvastatin on atherosclerosis after surgical menopause. Female golden Syrian hamster aged 6 months were fed hypercholesterolemic diet during the whole study. Atherosclerotic changes in thoracic and abdominal aortas were assessed by stereomicroscopic method after 12 weeks. Four experimental groups were studied: sham-operated animals (n=5), ovariectomized animals (n=9), ovariectomized animals treated for 12 weeks (n=10), and ovariectomized animals treated 4 weeks after ovariectomy for 8 weeks (n=9). The dose of simvastatin was 10 mg/kg of body weight. After 12 weeks, ovariectomized animals had tenfold higher concentration of triglycerides in LDL fraction and significantly higher prevalence of atherosclerosis than animals without ovariectomy. Treatment with simvastatin substantially decreased the prevalence of atherosclerotic changes, but otherwise did not change individual serum lipids including LDL cholesterol. However, it improved proportions of pro- and antiatherogenic serum lipids mainly by the increase of HDL cholesterol. The timing of simvastatin treatment had no significant effect on atherosclerotic changes or lipid parameters. Simvastatin treatment partly prevented atherosclerotic changes induced by ovariectomy. This effect was not mediated by decrease of LDL cholesterol, but by increase in HDL cholesterol., J. Pitha ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The ability of biocontrol agents to overcome the immune defense of pests is a crucial issue. This is the first study of lysozyme activity as an inducible humoral component of the defense of Schistocerca gregaria, which depends on the recognition of the elicitor molecules of pathogens and not on epidermal wounding or a spiking effect. The level of lysozyme activity in fat body, haemocytes and haemolymph plasma of naïve and immunologically challenged 5th instar S. gregaria was evaluated using the zone of inhibition test against Micrococcus lysodeikticus. Various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as peptidoglycans (PGN) and lipopolysacchrides (LPS) of bacterial cell walls induce and increase in the level of lysozyme activity. Escherichia coli induced an increase in the level of activity of lysozyme in the fat body, haemocytes and plasma, but not in mid gut epithelium, 6–12 h after an immunological challenge and then it decreased to the constitutive level after 72 h. This study revealed that in S. gregaria there is a constitutive and a bacteria-inducible level of lysozyme activity, which protects it against infection by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria., Amr A. Mohamed ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
a1_Modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles due to oxidation, glycation and binding of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) or malondialdehyde (MDA, a final product of lipid peroxidation) is considered most important in the process of atherogenesis. Oxidatively modified LDL are distinguished by another receptor type, which was discovered on the surface of macrophages and was called the scavenger receptor. Uncontrolled intake of LDL converts macrophages to foam cells; their accumulation under the vascular endothelium is considered as the first stage of atherosclerosis. Oxidation of LDL is a complex process taking place in both the extra- and intracellular space. At the end of this oxidative process, modified LDL particles show chemotactic, cytotoxic and immunogenic properties. Oxidized LDL express a large number of epitopes and cause production of polyclonal autoantibodies against these products, especially against apoB100 modified by MDA and 4-hydroxynonenal. IgoxLDL (antibodies against oxidized LDL) can be demonstrated either directly in intimal lesions or as a component of circulating immune complexes. IgoxLDL do not form a homogeneous group but a varied mixture of antibodies-isoantibodies caused by HDL and LDL polymorphism, antibodies against the lipid phase of LDL and antibodies against modified apoB100 of the immunoglobulin class IgA or IgG. Antibodies against oxLDL were found in many diseases other than atherosclerosis such as diabetes mellitus, renovascular syndrome, uremia, rheumatic fever, morbus Bechtjerev or lupus erythematodes. Newborns have practically the same levels of IgoxLDL as their mothers; however, these values did not differ from those in the healthy population of non-pregnant women of the same age., a2_The decrease in IgoxLDL titer was very slow and lasted many months; that is why this parameter cannot be considered suitable for describing the rapid changes during oxidative stress of the organism. Positive correlation of IgoxLDL with antiphospholipids and other antibodies was repeatedly demonstrated; their determination can thus be used as a marker for the description of total production of autoantibodies in various diseases. The changes and correlations of IgoxLDL, anti-b-2-glycoprotein I IgG and antiphospholipid antibodies support the immunological link between thrombotic and atherosclerotic processes in the human body., A. Steinerová, J. Racek, F. Stožický, T. Zima, L. Fialová, A. Lapin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Berlinova dichotomie pozitivní a negativní svobody je v akademickém prostředí natolik diskutovanou problematikou, že jakékoli pokusy o její novou interpretaci čelí notnému riziku rozvíjení již řečeného, a tím i možnosti ztráty argumentační síly. Cíl tohoto článku však nespočívá v přispění k debatě týkající se funkčnosti Berlinova rozdělení, ale ve zpochybnění stereotypně přijímaných ideových zdrojů, jimiž se Berlin údajně inspiroval. V rámci linie tradic liberálního myšlení, kterou identifikuje mimo jiné sám Berlin, je totiž jeho rozlišení dvou pojmů svobody běžně ztotožňováno s principy a ideovým poselstvím klasifikace francouzského osvícence Benjamina Constanta. Směšování Berlinovy polarity pozitivní – negativní s Constantovým schématem antická – moderní je pravděpodobně důsledkem četných styčných bodů obou koncepcí, jež však vedou k automatickému vnímání souladu i u těch principů, u nichž je míra koherence problematická. Za hlavní cíl této studie lze tudíž označit jednak prokázání skutečnosti, že pro důslednou komparaci Berlinovy a Constantovy dichotomie je kromě běžně analyzované příbuznosti negativní svobody se svobodou moderní nezbytné vzít v úvahu i provázanost opačných pólů spektra, a především pak obhajobu teze, že v podstatných momentech Constantovo myšlení opouští meze liberální tradice a konotuje Pettitovy republikánské principy svobody jako ne-dominance. Takový závěr vede v konečném důsledku k tomu, že Berlinovo a Constantovo dělení nelze vnímat jako homogenní., Berlin’s dichotomy of positive and negative freedom is, in academic quarters, such a well-discussed problem that any kind of attempt at a fresh interpretation confronts the real risk of developing what has already been said and, in that way, of losing argumentational strength. The aim of this article does not, however, consist in contributing to the debate about the viability of Berlin’s distinction, but in calling into question the stereotypical reception of the intellectual sources that Berlin was inspired by. In the framework of the line of traditions of liberal thinking, which, among others, Berlin himself identifies, is his distinction between two concepts of freedom, usually identified with the principles and intellectual meaning of the classification by the French enlightenment thinker Benjamin Constant. The mixing up of Berlin’s polarity positive–negative with Constant’s scheme of ancient–modern is probably a consequence of the numerous common points in the two conceptions. These, however, lead to the automatic perception of agreement even in those principles for which the level of coherence is questionable. The main aim of this study is, therefore, to indicate, firstly, the proven fact that for a consistent comparison of Berlin’s and Constant’s dichotomy one must examine, in addition to the commonly analysed relationship of negative freedom with modern freedom, the connectedness of the opposite poles in the two cases. Secondly, and more importantly, the thesis is advanced that, in its fundamental properties, Constant’s thinking goes beyond the liberal tradition and points towards Pettit’s republican principles of freedom as non-dominance. This conclusion ultimately leads to the recognition that Berlin’s and Constant’s division cannot be seen as homogenous., Jan Květina., and Obsahuje seznam literatury