Multivalvulid myxosporeans of the genera Kudoa Meglitsch, 1947 and Unicapsula Davis, 1924 (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) are often the cause of unsightly cyst formation or postmortem myoliquefaction in the trunk muscle of commercial marine fish, which reduces the market value of infected individuals. Twenty species (18 Kudoa spp. and two Unicapsula spp.) have been recorded from carangid fish, although the majority of them, excluding polyxenous species, such as K. amamiensis Egusa et Nakajima, 1980, K. iwatai Egusa et Shiomitsu, 1983, K. nova Naidenova, 1975, K. quadratum (Thélohan, 1895) and K. yasunagai (Hsieh et Chen, 1984), are limited to a single or a few fish species. We report the occurrence of macroscopic cysts of Kudoa trachuri Matsukane, Sato, Tanaka, Kamata et Sugita-Konishi, 2011 in the trunk muscle of four new host fish species, i.e., Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch et Schneider), Decapterus akaadsi Abe, D. muroadsi (Temminck et Schlegel) and Decapterus tabl Berry, fished from the Philippine Sea (Northwest Pacific Ocean), off southwestern of Japan. Myxospore morphology and genetic characteristics of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) of these isolates were consistent with previous records of K. trachuri from Trachurus japonicus (Temminck et Schlegel) from around Japan. In addition, a new species of Kudoa that forms long filamentous pseudocysts in trunk myofibres was found in four of the six D. tabl collected in this study. We describe Kudoa longichorda sp. n. for this new isolate, based on its morphology of subquadrate myxospores with four shell valves and polar capsules and with small dimensions (length 4.3-5.5 µm, width 6.0-6.8 µm, thickness 4.8-6.3 µm, polar capsule length 2.3-3.1 µm, polar capsule width 1.1-1.7 µm), as well as 18S and 28S rDNA sequences distinct from those of known species.
It is well known that the mammalian uterine tube (UT) plays a crucial role in female fertility, where the most important events leading to successful fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development occur. The known functions of these small intraabdominal organs are: an uptake and transport of oocytes; storage, transportation, and capacitation of spermatozoa, and finally fertilization and transport of the fertilized ovum and early embryo through the isthmus towards the uterotubal junction. The success of all these events depends on the interaction between the uterine tube epithelium (UTE) and gametes/embryo. Besides that, contemporary research revealed that the tubal epithelium provides essential nutritional support and the most suitable environment for early embryo development. Moreover, recent discoveries in molecular biology help understand the role of the epithelium at the cellular and molecular levels, highlighting the factors involved in regulating the UT signaling, that affects different steps in the fertilization process. According to the latest research, the extracellular vesicles, as a major component of tubal secretion, mediate the interaction between gametes/embryo and epithelium. This review aims to provide up-to-date knowledge on various aspects concerning tubal epithelium activity and its cross-talk with spermatozoa, oocytes and preimplantation embryo and how these interactions affect fertilization and early embryo development.
Nad názvem: Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, International Polymer Colloid Group, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, European Polymer Federation, Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy a rejstřík, and born digital
The uterine tube (UT) pathologies account for 25-35 % of female factor infertility. Although these peculiar organs were first studied several hundred years ago, they have become overlooked and neglected mainly due to the successes of reproductive medicine. Nevertheless, reproductive medicine still faces many challenges regarding the fertility outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many obstacles and problems can be resolved by a more detailed understanding of the UT morphology and function during normal reproduction. Over the course of the 21st century, many new insights have been obtained: the presence of a population of telocytes in the tubal wall responsible for normal motility and hormone sensory function, the demonstration of lymphatic lacunae of the mucosal folds necessary for oocyte capture and tubal fluid recirculation, or a thorough profiling of the immune makeup of the UT epithelial lining with the discovery of regulatory T cells presumably important for maternal tolerance towards the semiallogenic embryo. New discoveries also include the notion that the UT epithelium is male sex hormone-sensitive, and that the UT is not sterile, but harbors a complex microbiome. The UT epithelial cells were also shown to be the cells-of-origin of high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas. Finally, yet importantly, several modern morphological directions have been emerging recently, including cell culture, the development of tubal organoids, in silico modelling, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. All these novel insights and new approaches can contribute to better clinical practice and successful pregnancy outcomes.
Conifer bark beetles are well known to be associated with fungal complexes, which consist of pathogenic ophiostomatoid fungi as well as obligate saprotroph species. However, there is little information on fungi associated with Ips acuminatus in central and eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate the composition of the fungal communities associated with the pine engraver beetle, I. acuminatus, in the forest-steppe zone in Ukraine and to evaluate the pathogenicity of six associated ophiostomatoid species by inoculating three-year-old Scots pine seedlings with these fungi. In total, 384 adult beetles were collected from under the bark of declining and dead Scots pine trees at two different sites. Fungal culturing from 192 beetles resulted in 447 cultures and direct sequencing of ITS rRNA from 192 beetles in 496 high-quality sequences. Identification of the above revealed that the overall fungal community was composed of 60 species. Among these, the most common were Entomocorticium sp. (24.5%), Diplodia pinea (24.0%), Ophiostoma ips (16.7%), Sydowia polyspora (15.1%), Graphilbum cf rectangulosporium (15.1%), Ophiostoma minus (13.8%) and Cladosporium pini-ponderosae (13.0%). Pathogenicity tests were done using six species of ophiostomatoid fungi, which were inoculated into Scots pine seedlings. All ophiostomatoid fungi tested successfully infected seedlings of Scots pine with varying degrees of virulence. Ophiostoma minus was the only fungus that caused dieback in inoculated seedlings. It is concluded that I. acuminatus vectors a species-rich fungal community including pathogens such as D. pinea and O. minus. The fungal community reported in the present study is different from that reported in other regions of Europe. Pathogenicity tests showed that O. minus was the most virulent causing dieback in seedlings of Scots pine, while other fungi tested appeared to be only slightly pathogenic or completely non-pathogenic., Kateryna Davydenko, Rimvydas Vasaitis, Audrius Menkis., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Based on previously published data, the Czech Republic is regarded an endemic country of the onchocercid nematodes Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) and Dirofilaria repens Railliet et Henry, 1911. Nevertheless, while cases of D. repens are commonly reported from dogs in South Moravia, no recent records of D. immitis are available. Therefore, the present study was performed to clarify the occurrence of both species of Dirofilaria Railliet et Henry, 1910. Blood samples of 551 dogs sampled during 2015 and 2016 were analysed microscopically for presence of microfilariae and blood sera were examined by IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test (IDEXX, USA). DNA from blood of microscopically positive dogs was extracted and PCR protocol amplifying fragment of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was performed; PCR products were then sequenced. All dogs from the Bohemian part of the Czech Republic were negative. The prevalence of D. repens in the Moravian region was 5.7 % (27/476). BLAST analyses of obtained sequences confirmed the presence of D. repens (99-100% identical to KX265049). All sampled animals showed a negative result for D. immitis antigen in IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test. Our study confirmed the previously reported occurrence of D. repens in South Moravia and revealed its spreading from the epicentre to the north and west. PCR with subsequent sequencing together with negative results for D. immitis antigen in IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test revealed only D. repens infection. A previously published autochthonous infection of dogs with D. immitis in South Moravia was not confirmed.
Objectives. The present study aimed to investi-gate the generational and gender differences in narcissism score, and value orientation among Slovakian generations Y and Z.Sample and settings. The sample of the research consisted of 955 participants, 192 men and 763 women. Generation Y consisted of 501 respon-dents and generation Z consisted of 454 respon-dents. The 16-Item Narcissistic Personality In-ventory and Portrait Values Questionnaire were administered.Hypotheses. The score of narcissism is higher in generation Z compared to generation Y and there are no differences in the value preference between these generations. There is a positive relationship between the narcissism score and individualistic values and negative relationship between narcissism score and collectivist va-lues.Statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics: per-centage, averages and standard deviations. In-ferential statistics: ANOVA, Pearson corelation analysis, Z-test for independent samples, mul-tiple linear regression. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS.Results. The results revealed higher narcissi-sm scores among generation Y in comparison to generation Z, with men having a higher rate of narcissism. The results indicated differen-ces between the generations and gender in the preference for the values of power, hedonism, stimulation, benevolence, universalism and se-curity. The data supported significant positive relationship between narcissism and individu-alistic values; negative relationship between narcissism and collectivist values, regardless of gender and generation. The preference for indi-vidualistic values was predicted by the narcissi-sm and generation; within collectivism, only the narcissism proved to be a significant predictor.Limitations. The limitations result from data collection, research design, the nature of the re-search group and the methods used. The results are valid for the researched group only. and Ciele. Cieľom štúdie bolo skúmať generačné a rodové rozdiely v miere narcizmu a hodnoto-vej orientácie príslušníkov generácie Y a Z na Slovensku.Súbor a metóda. Výskumný súbor tvorilo 955 respondentov, pozostávajúci zo 192 mužov a 763 žien. Generáciu Y reprezentovalo 501 res-pondentov, generáciu Z reprezentovalo 454 res-pondentov. U respondentov bol administrovaný 16-položkový Inventár narcistickej osobnosti a Schwartzov dotazník hodnotových portrétov.Hypotézy. Miera narcizmu je vyššia u generácie Z v porovnaní s generáciou Y. Neexistujú roz-diely v preferencii hodnôt medzi príslušníkmi generácií Y a Z. Existuje pozitívny vzťah medzi mierou narcizmu a preferenciou individualistic-ky zameraných hodnôt; a negatívny vzťah k pre-ferencii kolektivisticky zameraných hodnôt.Štatistická analýza. Deskriptívna analýza: per-centá, priemery, smerodajné odchýlky. Inferenč-ná analýza: ANOVA, Pearsonova korelačná ana-lýza, Z-test pre 2 nezávislé výbery, viacnásobná regresná analýza. Získané dáta boli analyzované štatistickým programom SPSS.Výsledky. Výsledky ukázali vyššiu mieru nar-cizmu u generácie Y v porovnaní s generáciou Z, pričom vyššiu mieru narcizmu dosiahli muži. Výsledky poukázali na štatisticky signifikantné generačné a rodové rozdiely v preferencii hod-nôt moc, hedonizmus, stimulácia, benevolencia, univerzalizmus a bezpečie. Výskum potvrdil vý-znamný pozitívny vzťah medzi narcizmom a pre-ferenciou individualistických hodnôt; negatívny vzťah medzi narcizmom a preferenciou kolekti-vistických hodnôt bez ohľadu na rod a generač-nú príslušnosť. Preferenciu individualistických hodnôt predikovala miera narcizmu a generačná príslušnosť, u kolektivizmu sa ako signifikantný prediktor ukázala len miera narcizmu.Obmedzenia. Obmedzenia vyplývajú zo zberu dát, designu výskumu, charakteru výskumného súboru a použitých metód. Výsledky platia iba pre skúmaný výskumný súbor.
In in vivo cardiovascular or toxicological studies involving rat models, changes in selected electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters are monitored after various interventions to assess the origin and development of heart rhythm disorders. Each ECG parameter has diagnostic significance; as such, commonly evaluated ECG parameters, including heart rate, PR interval, P wave duration, P wave amplitude, QRS complex, QT and QTc interval duration, R wave and T wave amplitude, of rats under various types of general anesthesia were the focus of this study. Studies that performed in vivo cardiovascular or toxicological experiments in rats were retrieved from a search of the Web of Science database for articles published mainly between 2000 and 2021. In total, the search retrieved 123 articles. ECG parameters that were reported as baseline or control values were summarized and averages with ranges were calculated. It is important to be cautious when interpreting results and, in discussions addressing the mechanisms underlying a given type of arrhythmia, acknowledge that initial ECG parameters may already be affected to some extent by the general anesthesia as well as by sex and the time of day the experiments were performed. and autoři: Pavol Svorc, Pavol Svorc Jr
Two species of the genus Gryllus occur in Europe: G. campestris and G. bimaculatus. The first is widely distributed in the north-western Palaearctic, while the second, G. bimaculatus, occurs predominantly in the Mediterranean area. There is a visible pattern in the distribution of G. campestris, the insect being rare and threatened in the western part of its range, whereas it is still abundant in the east. Despite the fact that this species is commonly used in laboratory experiments, its natural populations are poorly characterised. In the present study, we analysed cricket populations from the lower Oder and Vistula River valleys in Poland. Based on the phylogeny of the mtDNA cytochrome b fragment, we found that 17% of the individuals studied had a G. bimaculatus-like mtDNA haplotype. Analyses of 11 autosomal microsatellite loci failed to reveal any clear genetic differentiation between individuals assigned to these two clades. This suggests, along with the spatial distribution of G. bimaculatus-like haplotypes, successful interbreeding of G. bimaculatus with native populations of G. campestris. However, both the nuclear data and additional analyses of two X-chromosome-linked microsatellite loci revealed incomplete introgression. Human-mediated introgression seems to be the most plausible explanation of the observed genotypic pattern such that caution needs to be taken in conservation efforts carried out in the western part of the species' range., Hanna Panagiotopoulou, Mateusz Baca, Katarzyna Baca, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Piotr Ślipiński, Michał Żmihorski., and Obsahuje bibliografii