Infertility affects approximately 48 million couples globally. Despite the enormous progress of the methods of reproductive medicine that has been made since the first test-tube baby was born in 1978, the implantation rate of day-3 embryos is only around 15-20 % and 30 % of day-5 embryos. Numerous strategies aim to improve implantation rates and prevent repeated implantation failure. However, there is no specific general recommendation leading to satisfying results. One of the many risk factors relevant in this regard is the uterine immunological make-up, mainly the uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells. They orchestrate the overall immune response during implantation by influencing trophoblast invasion and vascular remodeling and throughout pregnancy, uNK cells are also the main immune cells at the maternal–fetal interface. Previously, uNK count has been correlated with various fertility issues including idiopathic recurrent miscarriage. The present study used endometrial samples collected from 256 patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF), habitual abortion (HA) and idiopathic sterility. Samples were collected between day 19 and 21 of the menstrual cycle mainly by Pipelle endometrial sampling. The samples were fixed in formalin for 24 hours and further processed for immunohistochemistry using anti-CD56 to visualize this antigen marker of uNK cells. Immunohistochemical counting was performed to assess the low, normal, or elevated count of uNK cells. According to the one-way ANOVA test, the age of our patients did not have any influence on the count of uNK cells. With Spearman correlation analysis, we found statistically significant correlation (p-value 0.05) of -0.133 between prior miscarriage and lower uNK cell count. Using the same analysis we found statistically significant correlation (correlation 0.233 with p-value 0.01) between number of uNK cells and activation status. Patients with higher uNK cells were more frequenty diagnosed with endometriosis (p-value 0.05, correlation 0.130). Patients with an immunological factor of sterility (defined by a clinical immunologist) had a lower chance of gravidity (-0.203 with p-value 0.01). Based on our results, we can confirm that there is a correlation between RIF, HA, idiopathic sterility, endometriosis, and immunological factor of sterility (uNK cell count). The true predictive value with regard to fertility outcomes needs to be addressed in future research.
Cultivated fruits can serve as an important winter food resource for medium-sized carnivores in rural areas that experience heavy snowfall. However, studies on the food analysis of medium-sized carnivores in heavy snowfall areas, particularly on the use of cultivated fruits, are limited. We evaluated the use of cultivated fruits by medium-sized carnivores during winter in a heavy snowfall area by comparing their feeding habits in rural and forest landscapes. We conducted faecal analysis of Japanese martens (Martes melampus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in rural and forest landscapes in north-eastern Japan during periods of snow cover. Based on a faecal analysis in the rural landscape, both Japanese martens and red foxes consumed mammals, birds, fruits, and other plant material. In the forest landscape, mammals and insects were consumed by Japanese martens and mammals, fruits, and other plant material were consumed by red foxes. Our results showed that cultivated fruits, such as persimmons and apples, were a major food source in snowy environments, suggesting a wider range of available resources and overlapping feeding habits. It has been suggested that red foxes in forest landscapes move long distances (several kilometres) to consume cultivated fruits. This study suggests that cultivated fruits may also indirectly feed wildlife, even in areas with heavy snowfall.
Diabetes mellitus 2 (DM2) is the seventh cause of death worldwide. One of the reasons is late diagnosis of vascular damage. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) has become an independent marker of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk. Moreover, the previous studies have shown the importance of beat-to-beat PWV measurement due to its variability among the heart cycle. However, variability of PWV (PWVv) of the whole body hasn't been examined yet. We have studied a group of DM II and heathy volunteers, to investigate the beat-to-beat mean PWV (PWVm) and PWVv in the different body positions. PWV of left lower and upper extremities were measured in DM2 (7 m/8 f, age 68±10 years, BP 158/90±19/9 mm Hg) and healthy controls (5 m/6 f, age 23±2 years, BP 117/76±9/5 mm Hg). Volunteers were lying in the resting position and of head-up-tilt in 45° (HUT) for 6 min. PWVv was evaluated as a mean power spectrum in the frequency bands LF and HF (0.04-0.15 Hz, 0.15-0.5 Hz). Resting PWVm of upper extremity was higher in DM2. HUT increased lower extremity PWVm only in DM2. Extremities PWVm ratio was significantly lower in DM2 during HUT compared to controls. LF and HF PWVv had the same response to HUT. Resting PWVv was higher in DM2. Lower extremity PWVv increased during HUT in both groups. PWVm and PWVv in DM2 differed between extremities and were significantly influenced by postural changes due to hydrostatic pressure. Increased resting PWVm and PWVv in DM2 is a marker of increased arterial stiffness.
The distribution, variability and host specificity of species of Babesia Starcovici, 1893 were studied in questing ticks collected on the northwestern edge of the Pannonian Basin in the south-easternmost part of the Czech Republic and in western Slovakia. The area is characterised by relatively natural floodplain habitats and the sympatric occurrence of three tick species possessing wide host spectra, namely Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus), Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) and Haemaphysalis concinna Koch. Analysis was carried out on 1,408 I. ricinus, 2,999 D. reticulatus and 150 H. concinna altogether, collected from 59 localities. We documented the presence of Babesia spp. not only in I. ricinus but also in H. concinna in the Czech Republic. Two isolates from I. ricinus were classified as B. venatorum Herwaldt, Cacciò, Gherlinzoni, Aspöck, Slemenda, Piccaluga, Martinelli, Edelhofer, Hollenstein, Poletti, Pampiglione, Löschenberger, Tura et Pieniazek, 2003 (formerly determined as Babesia sp. EU1), which is a zoonotic parasite and can cause human babesiosis. The rest of our amplicons were very similar to B. canis (Piana et Galli-Valerio, 1895), which is usually transmitted by D. reticulatus. Despite the huge amount of examined samples, all D. reticulatus ticks were Babesia-free. Due to this finding, we did not consider our obtained isolates to be B. canis, but other closely related species possessing a similar sequence of the studied portion of 18S rDNA. Although this genetic marker is most frequently used in PCR-based diagnostic methods of babesias, its low variability compromises its reliability in studies based only on this marker., Markéta Rybářová, Michaela Honsová, Ivo Papoušek, Pavel Široký., and Obsahuje bibliografii
At the southern limit of its range the endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus inhabits grasslands (wet, dry) that differ significantly in the abundance of its larval hostplants (wet > dry) and mean annual air temperature (wet < dry). We determined the difference in the wing morphology of individuals in the two contrasting habitats to test whether and how traits associated with wing size, shape and eye like spots vary in the sexes and two ecotypes. We show that sexual dimorphism follows the same (wing size and shape, number of eyespots on forewing) or different (relative area of eyespots on hindwings) patterns in the two contrasting habitats. Irrespective of ecotype, females had larger, longer and narrower wings, and more forewing eyespots than males. Sexual dimorphism in the relative area of eyespots on hindwing was female-biased in the wet, but male-biased in the dry ecotype. Ecotype dimorphism in wing size and the relative area of eyespots on the hindwing is best explained by mean annual air temperature and abundance of host-plants. While ecotype dimorphism in wing size did not differ between sexes, neither in direction (wet > dry) or in degree, in the two sexes the relative area of eyespots on hindwing had opposite patterns (males: dry > wet; females: wet > dry) and was more pronounced in males than in females. The differences in wing shape between ecotypes were detected only in the hindwings of males, with more rounded apex in the dry than in the wet ecotype. We discuss the life-history traits, behavioural strategies and selection mechanisms, which largely account for the sex- and ecotype-specific variation in wing morphology., Jure Jugovic, Sara Zupan, Elena Bužan, Tatjana Čelik., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Thermal requirements for flight in butterflies is determined by a combination of external factors, behaviour and physical constraints. Thorax temperature of 152 butterflies was monitored with an infra-red thermometer in controlled laboratory conditions. The temperature at take-off varied from 13.4°C, for a female Heteronympha merope to 46.3°C, for a female Junonia villida. Heteronympha merope, an understorey species, had the lowest recorded take-off temperatures, with females flying at a much lower thorax temperatures than males. Among the tested butterfly species, warming-up rate was positively correlated with take-off temperature and negatively with body mass. Wing loading is a major variable in determining the thorax flight temperature. Butterflies with the highest wing-loadings experienced the highest thorax temperatures at take-off. A notable exception to this rule is Trapezites symmomus, the only Hesperiidae of our data set, which had thorax flight temperatures of 31.5°C and 34.5°C, well within the range of the observed butterflies, despite a wing load ca. five times higher. The high thorax temperature recorded in J. villida is probably linked to its high flight speed. The results highlight the importance of physical constraints such as body size on the thermal requirements for flight across a range of butterfly species., Gabriel Nève, Casey Hall., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Our aim was to determine biogeographical patterns in the food habits of golden jackals by first reviewing their dietary patterns at the continental scale and then analysing associations between the food items in their diets and geographical, regional productivity and land-use variables, using multivariate analyses. Our findings indicated that jackals generally consume small mammals as a staple food but shift to consume plant materials or the carcasses of larger mammals when food resources are scarce owing to changes in the regional climate and productivity, as well as anthropogenic habitat modifications. Disruption of natural food resources (specifically small mammals) due to anthropogenic landscape modifications provokes dietary shifts in golden jackals, potentially increasing their reliance on anthropogenic resources. Consequently, conservation of their habitat in combination with waste management to decrease the accessibility to anthropogenic resources is required to resolve human-jackal conflicts.
The main role of research in medicine is to provide relevant knowledge which, after successful translation to clinical practice, improves the quality of healthcare. The sex bias which is still present in the majority of research disciplines prefers male subjects despite legislation changes in the US grant agencies and European research programme Horizon 2020. Male subjects (cells, animals) still dominate in preclinical research and it has detrimental consequences for women’s health and the quality of science. Opposite bias exists for data obtained mainly in animal models utilizing female subjects (e.g. research in multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis) with skewed outcomes for men affected by these diseases. Either way, scientists are producing results which compromise half of the population. Assumptions that females as cohorts are more variable and another assumption that the oestrous cycle should be tracked in case the females are enrolled in preclinical studies were proven wrong. Variability of male versus female cohorts are comparable and do not only stem from hormonal levels. The widespread prevalence of sex differences in human diseases ultimately requires detailed experiments performed on both sexes, unless the studies are specifically addressing reproduction or sex-related behaviors.
Based on the fact that tremors display some distinct 3D spatial
characteristics, we decided to visualize tremor planes in 3D
space. We obtained 3-axial linear accelerometer signals of hand
tremors from 58 patients with Parkinson´s disease (PD), 37 with
isolated resting tremor (iRT), 75 with essential tremor (ET), and
44 healthy volunteers with physiological tremor (Ph). For each
group analysis was done with subsequent spatial 3D regression
of the input data i.e. along the x, y and z axes; the projected
vector lengths in the individual (vertical transversal XY, vertical
longitudinal XZ and horizontal YZ) reference frame planes and
their angles. Most meaningful and statistically significant
differences were found in the analyses of the 3D vector lengths.
The tremor of the PD and the iRT group was oriented mainly in
the horizontal YZ plane. The tremors of the patients with ET and
Ph were oriented approximately in the midway between the all
three referential planes with less tilt toward the vertical
longitudinal XZ plane.
Polyhydroxylated derivatives of 6-keto,7-dehydrocholesterol (ecdysteroids) are common constituents of various plants.
In 1965, they were accidentally discovered in the search for the insect moulting hormone. These biologically important natural
compounds are neither insect hormones nor inducers of insect ecdysis. Due to their strong anabolic, vitamin D-like effects in insects, domestic animals and humans, I propose the use of the arbitrary term vitamin D1
. The present paper describes the effects
of vitamin D1
on the growth and regeneration of excised epidermal cells of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (Sphingidae).
The periods of programmed cell death and cell proliferation (histolysis and histogenesis, respectively) exactly coincide in insects
with endogenous peaks of increased concentration of vitamin D1
. Epidermal cells communicate with each other, creating a mutually integrated tissue, connected by mechanical, chemical, electrical, ionic or other so far incompletely known factors. After natural
cell death, or after the artifi cial removal of some epidermal cells, the neighbouring cells that lose communication integrity, begin
to divide mitotically to replace the disconnected part. Cell divisions are arrested as soon as the integrity of the living tissue is
established. During insect ontogeny, the application of juvenile hormone causes regenerating epidermal cells to repeat the previous morphogenetic programme (i.e., development of patches of larval tissue on the body of a pupa, or metathetely). Conversely,
the application of vitamin D1
(20-hydroxyecdysone) caused the regenerating cells to prematurely execute a future morphogenetic
programme (i.e., development of patches of pupal tissue on the body of a larva, or prothetely). Among the key features of insect
regeneration, is the arrest of cell divisions when tissues resume living cell-to-cell integrity. This prevents the formation of aberrant groups of cells, or tumours. It is well established that the main physiological systems of insects (e.g., circulatory, respiratory,
neuro-endocrine) are structurally and functionally similar to corresponding systems in humans. Thus the basic principles of cell
regeneration and the role of vitamin D1
in insects may also be valid for humans. The common vitamins D2
(ergocalciferol) or D3
(cholecalciferol), are exclusively lipid soluble secosterols, which require activation by UV irradiation and hydroxylation in the liver.
By contrast, the neglected vitamin D1
is a natural derivative of polyhydroxylated 7-dehydrocholesterol of predominantly plant origin, which is both partly a water and partly a lipid soluble vitamin. It neither requires UV irradiation, nor hydroxylation due to 6 or
7 already built-in hydroxylic groups. Like other vitamins, it enters insect or human bodies in plant food or is produced by intestinal
symbionts. Vitamin D1
causes strong anabolic, vitamin D-like effects in domestic animals and in humans. I am convinced that
avitaminosis associated with a defi ciency of vitamin D1 in human blood may be responsible for certain hitherto incurable human
diseases, especially those related to impaired nerve functions and somatic growth, aberrant cell regeneration or formation of
malignant tumours.