To assess the possible involvement of mast cells and/or their mediators in inflammatory bowel diseases, the effect of the histamine H1 antagonist Dithiaden was studied on a model of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Dithiaden pretreatment by intracolonic administration was found to reduce the extent of acute inflammatory colonic injury. This was manifested by a decrease in the score of gross mucosal injury, by lowered colonic wet weight and by diminished myeloperoxidase activity reflecting reduced leukocyte infiltration. Vascular permeability and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity, elevated by acetic acid exposure, were decreased after Dithiaden pretreatment. The results indicate that locally administered Dithiaden may protect the colonic mucosa against an acute inflammatory attack by interfering with the action of the major mast cell mediator histamine., V. Nosáľová, O. Ondrejičková, J. Pečivová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Water is a limited resource and is likely to become even more restricted with climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic acid (HA) applications on photosynthesis efficiency of rapeseed plants under different watering conditions. Water stress strongly increased electron transport flux, probability that trapped excitation can move an electron into the electron transport chain beyond QA, and quantum yield of reduction of end electron acceptors at the PSI acceptor side. Application of HA decreased the values of these parameters to be similar to those of non-stress conditions. We found that, the application of HA improved plants net photosynthesis under water stress via increasing the rate of gas exchange and electron transport flux in plants., R. Lotfi, H. M. Kalaji, G. R. Valizadeh, E. Khalilvand Behrozyar, A. Hemati, P. Gharavi-Kochebagh, A. Ghassemi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Toxic influence of high oxygen concentration on pulmonary function and structures has been known for many years. However, the influence of high oxygen concentration breathing on defensive respiratory reflexes is still not clear. In our previous experiments, we found an inhibitory effect of 100 % oxygen breathing on cough reflex intensity in healthy guinea pigs. The present study was designed to detect the effects of hyperoxia on cough reflex in guinea pigs with allergic airway inflammation. In the first phase of our experiment, the animals were sensitized with ovalbumin. Thirty-two sensitized animals were used in two separate experiments according to oxygen concentration breathing: 100 % or 50 % oxygen for 60 h continuously. In each experiment, one group of animals was exposed to hyperoxia, another to ambient air. The cough reflex was induced both by aerosol of citric acid before sensitization, then in sensitized animals at 24 h and 60 h of exposition to oxygen/air in awake animals, and by mechanical stimulation of airway mucosa in anesthetized animals just after the end of the experiment. In contrast to 50 % oxygen, 100 % oxygen breathing leads to significant decrease in chemically induced cough in guinea pigs with allergic inflammation. No significant changes were present in cough induced by mechanical stimulation of airways., M. Brozmanová, J. Hanáček, M. Tatár, A. Strapková, P. Szépe., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Photoprotection mechanisms protect photosynthetic organisms, especially under stress conditions, against photodamage that may inhibit photosynthesis. We investigated the effects of short-term immersion in hypo- and hypersalinity sea water on the photosynthesis and xanthophyll cycle in Sargassum fusiforme (Harvey) Setchell. The results indicated that under moderate light [110 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1], the effective quantum yield of PSII was not reduced in S. fusiforme fronds after 1 h in hyposalinity conditions, even in fresh water, but it was significantly affected by extreme hypersalinity treatment (90‰ sea water). Under high light [HL, 800 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1], photoprotective mechanisms operated efficiently in fronds immersed in fresh water as indicated by high reversible nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ) and de-epoxidation state; the quantum yield of PSII recovered during the subsequent relaxation period. In contrast, fronds immersed in 90‰ sea water did not withstand HL, barely developed reversible NPQ, and accumulated little antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin during HL, while recovery of the quantum yield of PSII was severely inhibited during the subsequent relaxation period. The data provided concrete evidence supporting the
short-term tolerance of S. fusiforme to immersion in fresh water compared to hypersalinity conditions. The potential practical implications of these results were also discussed., X. J. Xie, X. L. Wang, L. D. Lin, L. W. He, W. H. Gu, S. Gao, X. F. Yan, G. H. Pan, M. J. Wu, G. C. Wang., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The present experiments were performed to evaluate if increased heart tissue concentration of fatty acids, specifically myristic, palmitic and palmitoleic acids that are believed to promote physiological heart growth, can attenuate the progression of unloading-induced cardiac atrophy in rats with healthy and failing hearts. Heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation (HTx) was used as a model for heart unloading. Cardiac atrophy was assessed from the ratio of the native- to-transplanted heart weight (HW). The degree of cardiac atrophy after HTx was determined on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 after HTx in recipients of either healthy or failing hearts. HTx of healthy hearts resulted in 23±3, 46±3, 48±4 and 46±4 % HW loss at the four time-points. HTx of the failing heart resulted in even greater HW losses, of 46±4, 58±3, 66±2 and 68±4 %, respectively (P<0.05). Activation of “fetal gene cardiac program” (e.g. beta myosin heavy chain gene expression) and “genes reflecting cardiac remodeling” (e.g. atrial natriuretic peptide gene expression) after HTx was greater in failing than in healthy hearts (P<0.05 each time). Exposure to isocaloric high sugar diet caused significant increases in fatty acid concentrations in healthy and in failing hearts. However, these increases were not associated with any change in the course of cardiac atrophy, similarly in healthy and post-HTx failing hearts. We conclude that increasing heart tissue concentrations of the fatty acids allegedly involved in heart growth does not attenuate the unloading-induced cardiac atrophy., M. Pokorný, I. Mrázová, J. Malý, J. Pirk, I. Netuka, Z. Vaňourková, Š. Doleželová, L. Červenková, H. Maxová, V. Melenovský, J. Šochman, J. Sadowski, L. Červenka., and Seznam literatury
Plants grown at low irradiance were fertilized with 0, 60, and 600 g m-3 NH4NO3 once every fortnight. Plants treated with high N concentrations showed an increased growth, producing longer and broader fronds with larger areas, and were darker green in colour. Nitrogen also increased the content of chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids per leaf area unit. Different N treatments did not affect the photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem 2, as reflected by the high values of Chl fluorescence kinetics Fv/Fm, ranging between 0.81 to 0.84, and Fv/F0 of 4.30 to 5.10. An increase in photochemical quenching (qP), accompanied by a decrease in non-photochemical quenching (qN), was observed in sporophytes fertilized with increased concentrations of NH4NO3. Nitrogen availability allowed sporophytes of Acrostichum aureum to become more established under natural conditions. and R. S. Pillai, B.-L. Ong.
Experimental activation of peritoneal macrophages by interferon gamma (IFN-γ) resulted in the inhibition of Encephalitozoon cuniculi replication. However, E. cuniculi could replicate either in a non-activated cell line of murine macrophages PMJ2-R or in IFN-γ-activated PMJ2-R cells. Moreover, activation with IFN-γ led to faster replication of E. cuniculi in these cells. Opsonisation of E. cuniculi spores with anti-E. cuniculi polyclonal antibody did not affect E. cuniculi replication in both, non-activated and activated murine macrophages. In contrast, opsonisation of E. cuniculi spores caused the most effective replication of E. cuniculi in activated PMJ2-R cells. However, production of nitric oxide by these cells was significantly more intensive than that in non-activated, infected cells, where the parasite replicated to a much lesser extent. Our results support the hypothesis that E. cuniculi uses phagocytosis for the infection of host cells. They also indicate that the mechanism by which spores of E. cuniculi are killed by macrophages is not dependent on nitric oxide and they reveal that PMJ2-R cells cannot substitute peritoneal murine macrophages in immunological studies on E. cuniculi.
The article is focused on the choice of interpolation types for toolpaths in NC programs. Interpolation type affects the interpretation of an NC program by the control system used in a CNC machine tool. It is important for a production engineer to know about the consequences of the use of various interpolation types in a specific CAM system for toolpath creation. For testing purposes, a general profile of a blade typically utilized in energy devices was used, with toolpaths for contour milling of its profile based on three interpolation types available in the CATIA CAM system (linear int., linear + circular int. and spline interpolation). The comparison of toolpaths is based on the number of blocks of the NC program, feed-rate profile measurement and measurement of machining time. For the machining and measurements, a real three-axis machine tool with the Sinumerik 840D control system has been used. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
With an increase in growth irradiance (from 15 to 100 % of full sunlight, I15 to I100), the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax), compensation (CI) and saturation irradiances of A. annua increased. At full sunlight, A. annua had a high capacity of photosynthesis, while at low irradiance it maintained a relatively high Pmax with a low CI. The height and diameter growth, total and leaf biomass, and artemisinin content of A. annua decreased with the decrease in irradiance, which might be connected with lower photosynthesis at lower than at higher irradiance. Irradiances changed biomass allocations of A. annua. The leaf/total mass ratio of A. annua increased with decreasing irradiance, but the root/total mass ratio and root/above-ground mass generally increased with increasing irradiance. Thus A. annua can grow in both weak and full sunlight. However, high yield of biomass and artemisinin require cultivation in an open habitat with adequate sunshine. and M. L. Wang ... [et al.].
Photosynthetic and growth characteristics of Mosla chinensis and M. scabra were compared at three irradiances similar to shaded forest understory, forest edge, and open land. At 25 % full ambient irradiance, M. chinensis and M. scabra had similar photosynthetic characteristics, but saturation irradiance, compensation irradiance, and apparent quantum yield of M. chinensis were higher than those of M. scabra at full ambient irradiance and 70 % full ambient irradiance. At the same irradiance treatment, specific leaf area and leaf area ratio of M. chinensis were lower than those of M. scabra. Photon-saturated photosynthetic rate and water use efficiency of M. chinensis, however, were not significantly higher than those of M. scabra, and the leaf area and total biomass were lower than those of M. scabra. As a sun-acclimated plant, the not enough high photosynthetic capacity and lower biomass accumulation may cause that M. chinensis has weak capability to extend its population and hence be concomitant in the community. and J.-X. Liao ... [et al.].