The expansion of urban areas is one of the most significant anthropogenic impacts on the natural landscape. Due to their sensitivity to stressors in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, dragonflies and damselflies (the Odonata) may provide insights into the effects of urbanisation on biodiversity. However, while knowledge about the impacts of urbanisation on odonates is growing, there has not been a comprehensive review of this body of literature until now. This is the first systematic literature review conducted to evaluate both the quantity and topics of research conducted on odonates in urban ecosystems. From this research, 79 peer-reviewed papers were identified, the vast majority (89.87%) of which related to studies of changing patterns of biodiversity in urban odonate communities. From the papers regarding biodiversity changes, 31 were performed in an urban-rural gradient and 21 of these reported lower diversity towards built up city cores. Twelve of the cases of biodiversity loss were directly related to the concentrations of pollutants in the water. Other studies found higher concentrations of pollutants in odonates from built-up catchments and suggested that odonates such as Aeshna juncea and Platycnemis pennipes may be candidate indicators for particular contaminants. We conclude by identifying current research needs, which include the need for more studies regarding behavioural ecology and life-history traits in response to urbanisation, and a need to investigate the mechanisms behind diversity trends beyond pollution., Giovanna Villalobos-Jiménez, Alison M. Dunn, Christopher Hassall., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dráždivý tračník (IBS) spolu s funkční dyspepsií jsou nejčastějšími funkčními poruchami trávicího traktu. Předmětem článku je souhrnný pohled na etiologii a patogenezi této choroby, diagnostiku a léčbu. Dráždivý tračník je charakterizován zejména bolestmi břicha a změnou tvaru a frekvence stolice. Je doporučováno definovat a klasifikovat jej podle „římských kritérií III“. Současný výzkum je zaměřen zejména na studium viscerální hypersenzitivity a na teorii tzv. minimálního zánětu a neuroimunní interakce. Etiologe a patogeneze jsou však stále neobjasněné a v klinické praxi zůstává farmakologická léčba dráždivého tračníku na úrovni léčby symptomatické, tj. zmírnění nebo odstranění bolesti, průjmu nebo zácpy, a v podávaní farmak s antianxiózním, event. antidepresivním účinkem. Lékem první volby by dnes měl být sulprid, antagonista D1 a D3 receptorů, který je u nemocných s IBS předepisován v dávce třikrát denně 50–100 mg, a sice pro anxiolytický a bolest potlačující účinek. V poslední části článku jsou diskutovány vedlejší účinky léků IBS na kardiovaskulární systém, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia are the most common functional gut disorders. The main topic of the article is a summary review of the aetiology and pathogenesis of this disease as well as its diagnostic procedures and treatment. Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by abdomen pain with altered stool frequency or consistency. It is recommended that it be defined and classified according to the Rome III classification. The symptoms are induced by physiological aberrations (like dysmotility and visceral hypersensitivity) or by the mechanisms of the initial inflammation and neuro‑immune interaction. This is also the focus of contemporary research. The aetiology and pathogenesis, however, remain unclear and the therapy of the day remains at the level of decreasing the main symptoms: abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea and psychological factors. Sulpiride, an antagonist of the D1 and D3 receptors, at a dose of 50 or 100 mg 3 times daily should be a first–choice treatment of IBS due to its anxiolytic and analgesic effects. The adverse effects of drugs for the treatment of IBS on the cardiovascular system are discussed in the last part of the article., and Ehrmann J., Urbánek K.
Příspěvek se zabývá institutem tzv. dříve vyslovených přání, přičemž zahrnuje jak některé právní, tak i některé etické problémy. Zejména se soustředí na otázky, které ještě v české odborné literatuře nebyly řešeny. V první části je shrnuta užívaná terminologie a historie institutu. Kromě toho jsou zmíněny tři modely dříve vyslovených přání, tzv. living will, substitute decision-making (rozhodování zvoleným zástupcem) a konečně tzv. values history (historie hodnot pacienta). Ve druhé části je shrnuta úprava v České republice. Ve třetí se pak článek zabývá konkrétními právními a etickými problémy., This article deals with advance directive and some legal and ethical issues associated with them. Its main purpose is to show some problems which haven´t been solved in Czech professional literature. The first part of this article summarizes terminology and history of this medical institute. Three models of advance directives are mentioned as well - living will, substitute decision-making and values history. The second part summarizes Czech legislation and its development. The last part speaks about some crucial ethical and legal issues associated with advance directives., and Adam Doležal.
Our previous studies have shown that the combined administration of drugs elevating extracellular adenosine, i.e. dipyridamole (DP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP), enhances murine hematopoiesis and potentiates the action of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). In this study, colony-stimulating activity (CSA) of blood serum of mice treated with DP+AMP, G-CSF or all these drugs in combination, i.e. the ability of the sera to stimulate the growth of GM-CFC colonies, was assayed in vitro. Furthermore, the concentration of GM-CSF and IL-6 in the sera was determined. Administration of DP+AMP was found to enhance significantly serum CSA at all time intervals of serum sampling including 24 h after the last injection of the tested drugs. Additive effects of DP+AMP and G-CSF on serum CSA were noted at early intervals after administration of the drugs. Furthermore, IL-6 levels were significantly elevated in the sera of mice which were administered DP+AMP either alone or in combination with G-CSF. Our results show that the effects of DP+AMP are indirect, mediated through the induction of some cytokine(s) and/or growth factor(s) and that extracellular adenosine can act in cooperation with G-CSF. These findings contribute to the further elucidation of the role of adenosine in hematopoiesis., L. Weiterová, M. Hofer, M. Pospíšil, V. Znojil, D. Štreitová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We have analyzed the influence of altered thyroid hormone levels on changes of MyHC protein isoforms and their mRNA transcripts in the soleus muscle of 2-, 4- and 7-month-old euthyroid (EU), hypothyroid (HY) and hyperthyroid (TH) female inbred Lewis strain rats (methimazole and T3 treatment started 3 to 4 weeks after birth). We have found that the content of the dominant MyHC 1 isoform gradually increased in the EU rats and that this increase was more progressive in the HY rats at all three stages. On the other hand, in the TH rats the content of MyHC 1 isoform was the highest in the 2-month-old rats and it decreased with an increasing length of T3 treatment. The content of the minor 2a MyHC isoform followed the opposite pattern. In contrast to the protein isoforms, the MyHC mRNA transcripts remained at similar levels. Nevertheless, in general, the MyHC 1 mRNA level was decreased and MyHC 2a transcript increased in the TH rats, while the opposite changes occurred in the HY rats. Our results thus suggest that in the rat soleus muscle, both increased and decreased levels of thyroid hormones speed up the formation of an adult slow phenotype which is demonstrated by the precocious appearance of the slow MyHC 1 isoform, but opposite to the hypothyroid status, a longer T3 application promotes the expression of the faster MyHC 2a isoform., A. Vadászová-Soukup, T. Soukup., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The Euroscience Open Forum 2012 took place at the Convention Centre Dublin and was officially opened by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. More than 500 speakers addressed over 150 science, careers and business-to-business sessions. The opening ceremony also featured the first keynote address of the conference by Nobel Laureate Jules Hoffmann entitled From Insects to Mammals, reflections on a European journey through basic research on immune defences. During the four days of the Forum, leading scientists, policy makers, business leaders and the general public from around the world came together to discuss new discoveries and debate the direction that scientific research is taking designed to strengthen the links between science and society. The conference covered all of the current major global scientific challenges, including health, food, genetics and climate change.