This study aimed to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of ghrelin in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial fibrosis and the underlying mechanism. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to control, ISO, and ISO + ghrelin groups. ISO (2 mg/kg per day, subcutaneous) or vehicle was administered once daily for 7 days, then ghrelin (100 µg/kg per day, subcutaneous) was administered once daily for the next 3 weeks. Ghrelin treatment greatly improved the cardiac function of ISO-treated rats. Ghrelin also decreased plasma brain natriuretic peptide level and ratios of heart weight to body weight and left ventricular weight to body weight. Ghrelin significantly reduced myocardial collagen area and hydroxyproline content, accompanied by decreased mRNA levels of collagen type I and III. Furthermore, ghrelin increased plasma level of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and GDF15 mRNA and protein levels in heart tissues, which were significantly decreased with ISO alone. The phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 and GSK-3β at Ser9 was decreased with ISO, and ghrelin significantly reversed the downregulation of p-Akt and p-GSK-3β. Mediated by GDF15, ghrelin could attenuate ISO-induced myocardial fibrosis via Akt-GSK-3β signaling.
Chronic stress is a crucial public issue that occurs when a person
is repetitively stimulated by various stressors. Previous
researches have reported that chronic stress induces
spermatogenesis dysfunction in the reproductive system, but its
molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The nectin protein family,
including nectin-1 to nectin-4, is Ca2+-independent
immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules, that are widely
expressed in the hippocampus, testicular tissue, epithelial cells
and other sites. Nectin-3 contributes to the sperm development
at the late stage, and the abnormal expression of nectin-3
impairs spermatogenesis. Some recent studies have
demonstrated that stress induces a decrease in nectin-3
expression in the hippocampus via corticotropin-releasing
hormone (CRH) to corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1
(CRHR1) pathway. Here, we tested whether chronic stress also
caused a reduction in nectin-3 expression in the testis. We
established a chronic social defeat stress paradigm, which
provides naturalistic and complex chronic stress in male C57BL/6
mice. After 25 days of chronic social defeat stress, the mice
showed weight loss, thymic atrophy and some other typical
symptoms of chronic stress (e.g. anxiety-like behavior and social
avoidance behavior). We found gonad atrophy, testicular
histological structure changes and semen quality reductions in
the stressed mice. The stressed male mice significantly spent
more time to impregnate the female mice than the control male
mice. Moreover, nectin-3 protein levels in stressed mice were
significantly decreased in the testes compared with those in
control mice. In addition, we found that the CRHR1 expression
level was increased in the testes of stressed mice. Therefore, we
demonstrated a decreased level of nectin-3 expression and
an increase in CRHR1 expression in the testis after exposure to
chronic stress, which may provide a potential therapeutic target
for the spermatogenesis dysfunction induced by chronic stress.
Circadian rhythms play an essential role in the adaptation of organisms to the environment and may show species-specific or sex-specific differences even within a closely related taxonomic group. Although spiders (Araneae) are sexually dimorphic in several morphological and behavioural features, there are very few studies on the sex-specific differences in their biological rhythms. This study evaluated the circadian rhythm in the locomotor activity of two agrobiont hunting species of spider, Carrhotus xanthogramma (Latreille, 1819) (Salticidae) and Philodromus cespitum (Walckenaer, 1802) (Philodromidae), under natural photoperiod conditions. Particular attention was paid to possible differences between the sexes in both species. We found that C. xanthogramma is a strictly diurnal species with a mean activity peak in the morning in both sexes and the females are more active than males. The locomotor activity rhythm of males was richer in ultradian (shorter than a day but longer than an hour) components, although the relative power of these components was negligible compared to the main, 24-h period component. In accordance with these results, the diel pattern of locomotor activity of C. xanthogramma can be described by a unimodal cosine curve. In contrast to C. xanthogramma, both sexes of Ph. cespitum showed cathemeral activity (i.e., activity occur within both the light and dark portions of the daily cycle) and females and males follow quite different activity schedules: females were most active at night, shortly before nautical dawn, whereas males were most active early in the morning. Unlike C. xanthogramma, Ph. cespitum has more ultradian components, with higher relative power especially in females, where besides the 24-h circadian component there is a particularly strong 12-h ultradian period. Based on these factors, females of Ph. cespitum show a bimodal and males a unimodal pattern.
The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of prospective differences in factors of verbal and figural creativity, like fluency, flexibility and elaboration, between pupils who read books in their free time and those who do not read. The next aim was to determine the extent of influence of reading in free time on verbal and figural creativity. Totally 169 pupils from elementary schools participated in this research. Number of those who read in their free time was 63 (37,28%). In the group there were totally 89 (52,66%) boys and 80 (47,33%) girls. Participants ranged in age from 10 to 15 years (M= 13,08; SD= 0,82). Data were collected with using Torrance Test of Creative Thinking – figural part and some adapted tasks from tests of verbal creativity from Guilford and Torrance. The results show that there are significant differences between readers and non-readers in verbal and figural creativity. Differences were also demonstrated in the most factors of creativity, the only exception was figural fluency. Further analysis of data showed more significant influence of reading on score in verbal than in figural creativity, where the influence is negligible. and V rámci tohoto výskumu bola pozornosť venovaná zisťovaniu rozdielov vo faktoroch verbálnej a neverbálnej tvorivosti, ktorými sú fluencia, flexibilita a elaborácia medzi čítajúcimi adolescentmi a ich rovesníkmi, ktorí sa tejto aktivite nevenujú, ako aj vplyvu čítania na verbálnu a neverbálnu tvorivosť. Výskumný súbor tvorilo 169 respondentov z druhého stupňa základných škôl, z čoho čitateľov bolo 63 (37,28 %). Chlapcov bolo 89 (52,66 %) a dievčat 80 (47,33 %). Vek respondentov sa pohyboval v rozmedzí 10 až 15 rokov (M= 13,08; SD= 0,82). Dáta boli zozbierané prostredníctvom Torranceho figurálneho testu tvorivého myslenia a upravených testov Guilforda a Torranceho určených na meranie verbálnej tvorivosti. Výsledky poukazujú na to, že medzi čítajúcimi a nečítajúcimi žiakmi sa nachádzajú signifikantné rozdiely vo faktoroch verbálnej a neverbálnej tvorivosti, pričom výnimku predstavuje len figurálna fluencia. Ďalšia analýza poukázala na to, že čítanie má významnejší vplyv na verbálnu tvorivosť v porovnaní s neverbálnou, na ktorú je vplyv minimálny.
Comparative housing research is hindered by attempts to provide broad empirical categorisations of types of Housing Regimes and their equivalents and sweeping cross-country generalisations about their effects. Regime theory is right to recognise the housing provision is and can be organised in different ways but proselytises too strongly. Real issues and policy debates in countries are instead embedded in the existence of specific, tenure related, networks of housing provision and they widely differ across the world. Taking that on board can lead to more fruitful understandings.
Heterozygous inactivating mutations of the glucokinase (GCK) gene are causing GCK-MODY, one of the most common forms of the Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY). GCK-MODY is characterized by fasting hyperglycemia without apparent worsening with aging and low risk for chronic vascular complications. Despite the mild clinical course, GCK-MODY could be misdiagnosed as type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In the diagnostic process, the clinical suspicion is often based on the clinical diagnostic criteria for GCK-MODY and should be confirmed by DNA analysis. However, there are several issues in the clinical and also in genetic part that could complicate the diagnostic process. Most of the people with GCK-MODY do not require any pharmacotherapy. The exception are pregnant women with a fetus which did not inherit GCK mutation from the mother. Such a child has accelerated growth, and has increased risk for diabetic foetopathy. In this situation the mother should be treated with substitutional doses of insulin. Therefore, distinguishing GCK-MODY from gestational diabetes in pregnancy is very important. For this purpose, special clinical diagnostic criteria for clinical identification of GCK-MODY in pregnancy are used. This review updates information on GCK-MODY and discusses several currently not solved problems in the clinical diagnostic process, genetics, and treatment of this type of monogenic diabetes.
Cysteine protease is a superfamily of widespread proteolytic enzymes and plays a major role in larval invasion, migration, exsheathing, survival and immune evasion in parasites. In the present study, the gene coding cysteine proteinase of the nematode Trichinella spiralis (Owen, 1835) was cloned into pQE-80L and subsequently expressed in E. coli JM109. The rTsCP was purified and its antigenicity was identified by Western blot and ELISA. Using anti-rTsCP serum the native TsCP was identified in muscle larval crude proteins. The results of quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence test demonstrated that the TsCP was expressed in all stages of T. spiralis and located mainly in cuticle, stichosome and reproductive organs. The immunisation of mice with rTsCP elicited Th2-predominant immune responses. Anti-rTsCP antibodies could partially inhibit the in vitro larval invasion of intestinal epithelial cells and kill the newborn larvae by an antibody-dependent cell-mediated dose-dependent cytotoxicity. The vaccinated mice exhibited a 54% reduction of adults and a 33% reduction of muscle larvae following challenge infection. The results suggested that the TsCP might be an indispensable protein in Trichinella invasion, development and survival of T. spiralis in hosts, and could be a potential vaccine target against infection., Yan Yan Song, Li Ang Wang, Hua Na Ren, Xin Qi, Ge Ge Sun, Ruo Dan Liu, Peng Jiang, Xi Zhang, Jing Cui, Zhong Quan Wang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The Chinese pine caterpillar Dendrolimus tabulaeformis is an important destructive leaf borer in boreal coniferous forests in China. This species overwinters in the larval stage. Changes in supercooling capacity and physiological-biochemical parameters of D. tabulaeformis larvae from a natural population were evaluated at different stages during the overwintering period. Cold hardiness of overwintering larvae collected in January was significantly greater than that of larvae collected in other months. January larvae survived for 15 days at -10°C and for approximately 2 days at -15°C. By contrast, larvae collected in September survived for no more than 4 h at -5°C and those in November and March no more than 1 day at -15°C. Supercooling point gradually decreased from -5.9 ± 0.3°C in September to a minimum of -14.1 ± 1.0°C in November, then gradually increased to the original value with the advent of spring. Water content gradually decreased from September to November, remained at approximately 74.5% until March and then gradually increased to levels similar to those in September. The lipid content gradually decreased from September to November, remained stable at approximately 3.2% until March and then gradually increased to levels similar to those in September. Glycogen content increased to a peak in November and then decreased. The concentrations of several metabolites showed significant seasonal changes. The most prominent metabolite was trehalose with a seasonal maximum in November. Glucose levels were highest in January and then gradually decreased until in May they were at levels similar to those in September. Glycerol levels remained relatively stable during winter but increased significantly in May. This study indicates that D. tabulaeformis is a freeze-avoidant insect. Larvae increase their supercooling capacity by regulating physiological-biochemical parameters during overwintering., Yuying Shao, Yuqian Feng, Bin Tian, Tao Wang, Yinghao He, Shixiang Zong., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In an open channel with a mobile bed, intense transport of bed load is associated with high-concentrated sediment-laden flow over a plane surface of the eroded bed due to high bed shear. Typically, the flow exhibits a layered internal structure in which virtually all sediment grains are transported through a collisional layer above the bed. Our investigation focuses on steady uniform turbulent open-channel flow with a developed collisional transport layer and combines modelling and experiment to relate integral quantities, as the discharge of solids, discharge of mixture, and flow depth with the longitudinal slope of the bed and the internal structure of the flow above the bed. A transport model is presented which considers flow with the internal structure described by linear vertical distributions of granular velocity and concentration across the collisional layer. The model employs constitutive relations based on the classical kinetic theory of granular flows selected by our previous experimental testing as appropriate for the flow and transport conditions under consideration. For given slope and depth of the flow, the model predicts the total discharge and the discharge of sediment. The model also predicts the layered structure of the flow, giving the thickness of the dense layer, collisional layer, and water layer. Model predictions are compared with results of intense bed-load experiment carried out for lightweight sediment in our laboratory tilting flume.
This paper makes a plea for a new form of international comparative housing research, in which not countries (national housing regimes) but cities or regions (local housing regimes) are the unit of analysis. Why do we need such a new comparative research approach? How can a local housing regime be conceptualised? By answering these questions, the paper attempts to lay the conceptual foundation for international comparative housing research 2.0.