a1_Coeuritrema Mehra, 1933, previously regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Hapalorhynchus Stunkard, 1922, herein is revised to include Coeuritrema lyssimus Mehra, 1933 (type species), Coeuritrema rugatus (Brooks et Sullivan, 1981) comb. n., and Coeuritrema platti Roberts et Bullard sp. n. These genera are morphologically similar by having a ventral sucker, non-fused caeca, two testes, a pre-testicular cirrus sac, an intertesticular ovary, and a common genital pore that opens dorsally and in the sinistral half of the body. Phylogenetic analysis of the D1-D3 domains of the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (28S) suggested that Coeuritrema and Hapalorhynchus share a recent common ancestor. Coeuritrema is morphologically most easily differentiated from Hapalorhynchus by having ventrolateral tegumental papillae and a definitive metraterm that is approximately 3-7× longer than the uterus. Coeuritrema comprises species that reportedly infect Asiatic softshell turtles (Testudines: Trionychidae) only, whereas Hapalorhynchus (as currently defined) comprises blood flukes that reportedly infect those hosts plus North American musk turtles (Sternotherus Bell in Gray) and mud turtles (Kinosternon Spix), both Kinosternidae, North American snapping turtles (Chelydridae), Asiatic hard-shelled turtles (Geoemydidae) and African pleurodirans (Pelomedusidae). Coeuritrema platti sp. n. infects the blood of Chinese softshell turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis (Wiegmann), cultured in the Da Rang River Basin (Phu Yen Province, Vietnam). It differs from C. lyssimus by having a narrow hindbody (< 1.6× forebody width), ventrolateral tegumental papillae restricted to the hindbody, a short cirrus sac (< 10% of corresponding body length), a transverse ovary buttressing the caeca, a short, wholly pre-ovarian metraterm (~ 10% of corresponding body length), and a submarginal genital pore., a2_It differs from C. rugatus by having small ventrolateral tegumental papillae, testes without deep lobes, and a Laurer's canal pore that opens posterior to the vitelline reservoir and dorsal to the oviducal seminal receptacle. The new species is only the second turtle blood fluke reported from Vietnam., Jackson R. Roberts, Raphael Orélis-Ribeiro, Binh T. Dang, Kenneth M. Halanych, Stephen A. Bullard., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The production of the pineal hormone melatonin is synchronized with day-night cycle via multisynaptic pathway including suprachiasmatic nucleus linking several physiological functions to diurnal cycle. The recent data indicate that impaired melatonin production is involved in several cardiovascular pathologies including hypertension and ischemic heart disease. However, the mechanisms of melatonin effect on cardiovascular system are still not completely understood. The activation of melatonin receptors on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells and antioxidant properties of melatonin could be responsible for the melatonin effects on vascular tone. However, the data from in vitro studies are controversial making the explanation of the melatonin effect on blood pressure in vivo difficult. In vivo, melatonin also attenuates sympathetic tone by direct activation of melatonin receptors, scavenging free radicals or increasing NO availability in the central nervous system. The central and peripheral antiadrenergic action of chronic melatonin treatment might eliminate the mechanisms counter-regulating decreased blood pressure, providing thus additional cardioprotective mechanism. The extraordinary antioxidant activity and antilipidemic effects of melatonin may enhance the modulation of blood pressure by melatonin and probably play the most important role in the amelioration of target organ damage by chronic melatonin treatment. Further investigation of these mechanisms should provide novel knowledge about pathophysiological mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, additional explanation for their circadian and seasonal variability and potentially generate new impulses for the development of therapeutic arsenal., Ľ. Paulis, F. Šimko., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Sympathetic activation and parasympathetic withdrawal are commonly observed during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We have demonstrated previously that noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) improves parasympathetic neural control of heart rate in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. We hypothesized that NPPV may exert such beneficial effects in COPD as well. Therefore, we assessed the acute effects of NPPV on systemic blood pressure and indexes of heart rate variability (HRV) in 23 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD. The measurements of HRV in the frequency domain were computed by an autoregressive spectral technique. The use of NPPV resulted in significant increases of oxygen saturation (from 89.2±1.0 to 92.4±0.9 %, p<0.001) in association with reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate (from 147±3 to 138±3 mm Hg, from 86±2 to 81±2 mm Hg, from 85±3 to 75±2 bpm, p<0.001 for all variables), and increases in ln-transformed high frequency band of HRV (from 6.4±0.5 to 7.4±0.6 ms2/Hz, p<0.01). Reductions in heart rate and increases in ln-transformed HF band persisted after NP PV withdrawal. In conclusion, these findings suggest that NPPV may cause improvements in the neural control of heart rate in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD., P. Skyba, P. Joppa, M. Orolín, R. Tkáčová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The goal of the research is to investigate the special effect of ovarian-menstrual cycle phases on the level of women’s blood pressure and characteristics of Mayer waves. 77 women aged 18-19 were tested under condition close to the state of basal metabolism in follicular phase (I), ovulation (II) and luteal phase (III) of ovarian-menstrual cycle. In phases II and III, the increase of mean and diastolic blood pressure level, in comparison with phase I in the prone position at rest and with psycho-emotional loading, were observed. The distinctions between variation parameters of R-R interval duration, stroke volume and its synchronization in phases II and III, in comparison with phase I, were observed in the prone position at rest, during tilt-test and with psycho-emotional loading. The substantial level of relationship between the power of Mayer waves and mean and diastolic blood pressure, mainly in phase I under conditions of all types, is observed. The maximum peak amplitude of stroke volume spectrogram is associated with pressure levels in the range of 0.04-0.15 Hz (ρ from -0.33 to -0.64). The obtained results indicate the possible participation of spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity characteristics in keeping blood pressure level in women., O. I. Lutsenko, S. O. Kovalenko., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Recenzent důkladně rozebírá monografii věnovanou vývoji etnických vztahů v Makedonii od počátku devadesátých let. Autor sice podle něj pracoval s rozsáhlou pramennou základnou a podnikl seriózní badatelskou přípravu, výsledek tomu ale příliš neodpovídá. Recenzent poukazuje na řadu výkladových i faktografických chyb a nepřesností, které vycházejí většinou z nedostatečného porozumění širšímu historickému kontextu složitých problémů etnického vývoje ve studovaném regionu., The reviewer thoroughly analyses this publication, which is devoted to the development of ethnic relations in Macedonia since the beginning of the 1990s. Though the author, according to the reviewer, has worked with a large base of sources and has done serious research, the result does not really reflect that effort. The reviewer points out a number of mistakes in interpretations and facts, as well as imprecision stemming from a general lack of truly understanding the wider historical context of the complicated problems of ethnic development in this region., [autor recenze] Jan Pelikán., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy