Pluripotent pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) receive growing interest in past decades. Two types of PSCs are recognized – vitamin A accumulating quiescent PSCs and activated PSCs- the main producents of extracellular matrix in pancreatic tissue. PSCs plays important role in pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. PSCs are intensively studied as potential therapeutical target because of their important role in developing desmoplastic stroma in pancreatic cancer. There also exists evidence that PSC are involved in other pathologies like type-2 diabetes mellitus. This article brings brief characteristics of PSCs and recent advances in research of these cells.
Data available in each EU member state regarding the numbers of people infected with Covid-19, tested for it and vaccinated against it suggest that Denmark has been one of the most successful ones, as it has (at least for now) managed to somewhat keep a balance between the protection of life and health and economic loss. The designated legal framework enabling the protection of public health was enacted within one day through an unprecedented emergency parliamentary ruling, though. Based on this act, all the necessary actions were taken for almost a year through implementing legislation and/or non-binding recommendation.
In this text, the grounds for the amendments of the Act on measures against infectious and other transmittable illnesses (Lov om foranstaltninger mod smitsomme og andre overførbare sygdomme), i.e. the amendments from 12th March 2020 and subsequently the new Act on epidemic are going to be analysed. Furthermore, the relevant legal regulation for protection of public health in times of epidemic in Denmark is going to be introduced in a way which also shows the main similarities and differences to the Czech legal regulation. and Z dostupných statistik ohledně počtu nakažených onemocněním covid-19, počtu testovaných a počtu očkovaných v jednotlivých zemích EU vychází Dánsko jako jeden z premiantů a jako země, jež (alespoň prozatím) zvládla vybalancovat ochranu životů a zdraví a ekonomické ztráty. Přitom zákonný rámec, jak chránit veřejné zdraví v zcela bezprecedentní situaci novodobé dánské historie v boji s epidemií onemocnění covid-19, byl přijat dánským parlamentem během jediného dne ve zrychleném legislativním režimu a veškerá následná opatření za účelem ochrany veřejného zdraví byla na jeho základě po dobu téměř 1 roku prováděna formou podzákonných nařízení, případně nezávazných doporučení.
V tomto textu budou analyzovány důvody, proč bylo dne 12. 3. 2020 přistoupeno k novelizaci zákona o opatřeních proti infekčním a jiným přenosným chorobám (Lov om foranstaltninger mod smitsomme og andre overførbare sygdomme) a následně k přijetí zákona o epidemiích (Lov om epidemier) a bude představena platná právní úprava relevantní pro ochranu veřejného zdraví v době epidemie v Dánsku tak, aby bylo možné její rámcové srovnání s českou právní úpravou.
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) increases the release of serum calcium through osteoclasts, which leads to bone resorption. Primary, PTH stimulates osteoblasts leading to increase RANKL (receptor activator for nuclear factor kappa-B ligand) expression and thus differentiation of osteoclasts. In kidneys, PTH increases calcium and decrease phosphate reabsorption. In kidneys, PTH stimulates 1alpha-hydroxylase to synthesize active vitamin D. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized by skeletal or renal complications. Nowadays, the classical form of PHPT is less seen and asymptomatic or subclinical (oligo symptomatic) forms are more frequent. Previously, it was thought that cortical bone is preferably affected by PHPT and that predispose bones to fracture at sites with a higher amount of cortical bone. However, an increased risk of vertebral fractures has been found by most of the studies showing that also trabecular bone is affected. Bone Mass measurement (BMD) at all skeletal sites is advised, but another specific tool for fracture assessment is needed. Trabecular bone score (TBS), an indirect measure of trabecular bone, maybe a useful method to estimate fracture risk. TBS is associated with vertebral fractures in PHPT regardless of BMD, age, BMI and gender. Furthermore, there is an association between TBS and high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) parameters in the trabecular and cortical compartment. However, studies considering the effect of PHPT treatment on TBS are more conflicting. Secondary hyperparathyroidism caused by vitamin D deficiency was associated with impaired bone microarchitecture in all age categories, as measured by TBS and Hr-pQCT with further improvement after treatment with vitamin D. and Martin Kužma, Peter Jackuliak, Zdenko Killinger, Juraj Payer.
Metabolic syndrome is a prevalent disease resulting from an interplay of genomic component and the exposome. Parental diet has been shown to affect offspring metabolic health via multiple epigenetic mechanisms. Excess carbohydrate intake is one of the driving forces of the obesity and metabolic syndrome pandemics. This review summarizes the evidence for the effects of maternal carbohydrate (fructose, sucrose, glucose) overnutrition on the modulation of metabolic syndrome components in the offspring. Despite substantial discrepancies in experimental design, common effects of maternal carbohydrate overnutrition include increased body weight and hepatic lipid content of the "programmed" offspring. However, the administration of sucrose to several rat models leads to apparently favorable metabolic outcomes. Moreover, there is evidence for the role of genomic background in modulating the metabolic programming effect in the form of nutri-epigenomic interaction. Comprehensive, robust studies are needed to resolve the temporal, sex-specific, genetic, epigenetic and nutritional aspects of parental overnutrition in the intergenerational and transgenerational pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.
The partial consumption of prey refers to when a predator does not consume all the digestible biomass of an animal it has killed. The frequency of partial consumption of prey by the polyphagous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Hemiptera: Miridae) was recorded for different species of prey and prey population structures, in single and mixed prey species patches. All the instars of the aphid, Aphis gossypii, were provided as prey alone or together with Myzus persicae or Macrosiphum euphorbiae. Numbers killed were determined when equal (10 nymphs of each instar, 40 in total) or unequal numbers (higher numbers of young nymphs but again 40 in total) of nymphs were placed on an eggplant leaf in a plastic Petri dish. In each dish a single 5th instar nymph of the predator was introduced and the numbers killed and numbers of partially consumed aphids were recorded after 24h, at 25 ± 1°C. The numbers of A. gossypii killed were higher than those of the other species of prey used. The frequency of partially consumed prey was highest when A. gossypii was offered alone in equal numbers of each instar, followed by when A. gossypii was provided together with M. persicae in unequal numbers of instars (23.6% and 11.2%, of the total mortality, respectively). Killed but not consumed prey was also recorded, at frequencies that reached 10.7% of the total mortality when A. gossypii was provided alone in equal numbers of each instar. For M. persicae and M. euphorbiae, these percentages were significantly lower. The higher frequency of this behaviour when A. gossypii was the prey may be related to its lower nutritional quality for the predator. The effect of prey instar was not significant. These results indicate that in determining the numbers killed by a predator, partially consumed prey may make up a significant part of the total kill and thus should be taken into consideration., Dionyssios Lykouressis, Dionyssios Perdikis, Ioannis Mandarakas., and Obsahuje bibliografii
To study the light intensity suitable for Bletilla ochracea Schltr., morphology, photosynthetic parameters, and polysaccharide content of seedlings were evaluated under different light intensities. All shade treatments promoted plant growth and net photosynthetic rate while having no significant effect on transpiration rate. The maximum photochemical efficiency and potential photochemical efficiency reached the lowest values under full sunlight. The electron transport rate and photochemical quenching under shade were significantly higher than those under full light, while nonphotochemical quenching was the highest under full light. This indicated that the shade alleviated photoinhibition in summer and improved the utilization of light. B. ochracea could adapt to different light intensities, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency under low light by improving the electron transport and the degree of opened PSⅡ reaction centers, and adapting to high light by increasing heat dissipation. Plant growth, photosynthesis, and polysaccharide accumulation of B. ochracea greatly increased under 76.4% shade.
Diabetic nephropathy, included in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), is the primary disease leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or dialysis treatment, accounting for more than 40 % of all patients with ESRD or receiving dialysis. Developing new therapeutics to prevent the transition to ESRD or dialysis treatment requires an understanding of the pathophysiology of DKD and an appropriate animal model for drug efficacy studies. In this study, we investigated the pathophysiology of diabetic kidney disease with type 2 diabetes in uninephrectomized db/db mice. In addition, the nephrectomized db/db mice from 10 weeks to 42 weeks were used to assess the efficacy of longterm administration of the angiotensin-II–receptor antagonist losartan. The blood and urinary biochemical parameters and the blood pressure which is a main pharmacological endpoint of the losartan therapy, were periodically measured. And at the end, histopathological analysis was performed. Uninephrectomized db/db mice clearly developed obesity and hyperglycemia from young age. Furthermore, they showed renal pathophysiological changes, such as increased urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) (the peak value 3104±986 in 40-week-old mice), glomerular hypertrophy and increased fibrotic areas in the tubulointerstitial tubules. The blood pressure in the losartan group was significantly low compared to the normotensive Vehicle group. However, as expected, Losartan suppressed the increase in UACR (829±500) indicating the medication was sufficient, but the histopathological abnormalities including tubular interstitial fibrosis did not improve. These results suggest that the uninephrectomized db/db mice are useful as an animal model of the severe DKD indicated by the comparison of the efficacy of losartan in this model with the efficacy of losartan in clinical practice.
In mammalian carnivore guilds (order Carnivora), spatiotemporal partitions play a major role in reducing competitive confrontations and facilitating successful sympatry. Using camera-trapping techniques, the present study aimed to elucidate patterns of spatial distribution and diel activities among medium- and large-sized carnivore species across central Bulgaria. We obtained 3,364 images of nine focal carnivores from 13,988 camera-trapping days between 2015 and 2020. Our findings indicated that the spatial distribution of the focal carnivore guilds varied with changes in altitudinal gradient, ruggedness, and forest-agricultural landscape changes. Specifically, the two largest species, the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758), were found only in the Balkan Mountains, whereas the largest mesocarnivore, the golden jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758), was mainly distributed agricultural lowlands. The European wildcat (Felis sylvestris Schreber, 1777) was found in forests inside protected areas, and other mesocarnivores were distributed at intermediate levels between wooded-mountains and agricultural lowlands. Brown bear, golden jackal, and domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) showed cathemeral, crepuscular, and diurnal activity, respectively, whereas the remaining six carnivores showed nocturnal activity in synchrony with their main prey. Our findings indicated that anthropogenic landscape modifications and potential interspecific competition resulted in patterns of spatial distribution and temporal activity in this carnivore guild.
Objectives. This study aims to better understand peak experience and their varieties (PEV), as a key concept in understanding positive human experience, in the context of a specific adventurous recreational pursuit. Sample and settings. Interviews with the 14 crew members of the historical sailing vessel Oesterscheldewere held at the end of a 38-day crossing of the Indian Ocean. A rigorous qualitative hermeneutical – narrative approach in analysing interviews was utilised. Results. The results were based on a qualitatively different cross-section of PEV that could be seen as a mixture of already thematised varieties of peak experience. The PEV were presented on three levels: the level of action, the level of feeling and the level of reflection; as such, they consisted of the interplay between specific challenges (situations) and responses (reactions). Alongside original methodology and analysis, the authors suggested the importance of studying the participant’s response to PEV. The response to PEV is seen as a crucial component in this study and to PEV itself. Finally, it was suggested that PEV could be projected into the future as a private and useful model of participation in life. Limitations. The study has a number of limitations commonly connected to the qualitative approach: a small number of participants, language bias (all interviews were held in English), the bias of question structure (“what did you feel?”), the participation of a researcher on the voyage, and the professionalism of the main crew that could bias the interviews. and Cílem této studie bylo lépe porozumět vrchol-ným zážitkům a jejich variacím (PEV), jakožto klíčovému konceptu pro pochopení pozitivních lidských prožitků, v kontextu specifického dob-rodružného rekreačního vyžití. Rozhovory se 14 členy posádky historické plachetnice Oester-schelde se uskutečnily na konci 38denní plav-by přes Indický oceán a k jejich analýze autoři využili kvalitativní hermeneuticko-narativní přístup. Výsledky vycházely z kvalitativně odlišného průřezu PEV, který lze považovat za směs již te-matizovaných variací vrcholného zážitku. PEV byly prezentovány ve třech rovinách: v rovině jednání, v rovině pocitů a v rovině reflexe; jako takové se skládaly ze souhry konkrétních výzev (situací) a reakcí (odpovědí). Kromě originální metodiky a analýzy autoři zdůrazňují význam studování odpovědí účastníků na PEV. Reakci na PEV považují za klíčovou složku této studie i PEV samotné.Studie má řadu omezení běžně spojených s kvalitativním přístupem: malý počet účastníků, jazykové zkreslení (všechny rozhovory probíha-ly v angličtině), zkreslení dané strukturou otá-zek rozhovoru a také faktem, že tazatel se také účastnil plavby.