Tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa) was found to be significantly increased in skeletal muscles and retroperitoneal fat of obese insulin-resistant Koletsky rats as compared to control Wistar rats. This increase was accompanied by a depression of insulin receptor protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity. Neither the insulin-binding capacity nor insulin receptor affinity were related to this TNFa increase in these tissues. In the liver, no significant changes of TNFa content and only a lowering of insulin-binding capacity were found. It is concluded that an increased TNFa content in muscles and fat (but not in the liver) contributes to insulin resistance by lowering insulin receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity, while other insulin receptor characteristics (insulin-binding capacity and affinity of insulin receptors to the hormone) do not seem to be influenced by this factor., A. Hřebíček, M. Rypka, Z. Chmela, J. Veselý, M. Kantorová, V. Golda., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This work describes Large Eddy Simulation of backward-facing step flow laden with particles. The concentration of the particles in the flow is high enough for consideration of two-way coupling. This means that the particles are influenced by fluid and vice versa. The inter-particle collisions are neglected. The Euler-Lagrange method is adopted which means that the fluid is considered to be continuum (Euler approach) and for each individual particle is solved Lagrangian equation of motion. Particles are considered to be spherical. The simulations are performed for different volume fractions. The results are compared to the single-phase flow in order to investigate the effect of the particles on the turbulence statistics of the carrier phase. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential differences in blood pressure (BP) profile in subjects with different forms of primary aldosteronism (PA). Simultaneously, we studied the effects of PA treatment on BP curve. We therefore monitored 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure values in 22 subjects with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), 22 subjects with idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) and 33 subjects with essential hypertension (EH) as controls. We found a significantly attenuated nighttime systolic BP decline in the APA group (P=0.02). Patients with IHA had lower nighttime systolic BP values (P=0.01) and also a diastolic BP decline (P=0.02) during the night in comparison with EH. We did not detect any significant differences in BP profile characteristics between APA and IHA. Specific treatment of primary aldosteronism (adrenalectomy, treatment with spironolactone) led to the normalization of the BP curve with a marked BP decline. Our study thus demonstrates a blunted diurnal BP variability in patients with primary aldosteronism the specific treatment of which normalized previously attenuated nocturnal BP fall., T. Zelinka, J. Widimský., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In order to understand friction processes in wheel/rail contact a new experimental device has been developed. Twin-disc approach has been used to determine adhesion curves in wheel-rail contact under various conditions. This paper describes some details about the design of the twin-disc experimental device. Finally, preliminary results are discussed. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Two distinct hemocyte populations are determined in the hemolymph of the triatomine bug Triatoma infestans Klug, oenocytoids and plasmatocytes, and their independent origin from separate stem cells is shown. Both hemocyte populations differ considerably in their morphology, ultrastructure and lectin-binding properties. While oenocytoids are quite uniform with easily definable cells which do not to bind any assayed lectin, the plasmatocytes are a very polymorphic population possessing several morphological types and displaying a positive reactivity with lectins.
Epileptic afterdischarges induced by electrical stimulation of the sensorimotor cortex as well as minimal metrazol seizures are characterized by EEG spike-and-wave rhythm and nearly the same motor pattern of clonic seizures. The action of ethosuximide on these two models was tested in adult rats with implanted electrodes. Cortical afterdischarges remained practically uninfluenced by ethosuximide (62.5 or 125 mg/kg i.p.) whereas minimal metrazol seizures were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner (doses of 31.25, 62.5 and 125 mg/kg i.p. were used). Present results in connection with recent data on the abolition of spike-and-wave rhythm elicited by low systemic doses of pentylenetetrazol suggest that spike-and-wave rhythm does not represent a single entity.
Morphological examination of novel specimens of paruterinid cestodes from passerine birds from Brazil and Chile and of museum specimens from Paraguay revealed two new species: Anonchotaenia prolixa sp. n. from Elaenia albiceps chilensis Hellmayr from Chile, and Anonchotaenia vaslata sp. n. from Tyrannus melancholicus (Vieillot) (type host) and Myiodynastes maculatus (Statius Muller) from Paraguay. The generic diagnosis of Anonchotaenia Conn, 1900 is amended, prompted by the presence of the armed cirrus and the elongated cirrus sac of A. prolixa. Two species were redescribed: Anonchotaenia brasiliensis Fuhrmann, 1908 from Tachyphonus coronatus (Vieillot) and Thraupis cyanoptera (Vieillot) (new host records) from Brazil, and Thraupis sayaca (Linnaeus) and Volatinia jacarina (Linnaeus) from Paraguay (new host and geographic records); and Anonchotaenia macrocephala Fuhrmann, 1908 from Tachycineta leucorrhoa (Vieillot) (new host record) from Brazil, Tachycineta meyeni (Cabanis) from Chile (new host and geographic record) and Stelgidopteryx ruficollis (Vieillot) from Paraguay (new host and geographic record). Scanning electron microscopy of A. brasiliensis and A. macrocephala revealed less microthrix variation than has been reported for other cyclophyllidean taxa. Sequence data were generated for nuclear ssr- and lsr-DNA and mitochondrial rrnL and cox1 for A. prolixa, A. brasiliensis, and A. macrocephala. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses supported each species as distinct, but revealed cryptic diversity among A. brasiliensis specimens from different host families. New host records of A. brasiliensis and A. macrocephala prompted a formal assessment of host specificity. Anonchotaenia prolixa was found to be oioxenous (HSS = 0), A. vaslata and A. macrocephala were found to be metastenoxenous (HSS = 3.000 and 3.302, respectively), whereas A. brasiliensis was found to be euryxenous (HSS = 5.876). Anonchotaenia brasiliensis has been found parasitising several species of different passerine families that participate in mixed-species foraging flocks in the Atlantic Forest. A diversity of species of other families join these flocks and are among the substantial number of South American passerine species yet to be examined for cestodes.
Three rheophilic species of the western Palaearctic Barbus with adjacent geographic distributions are recognised in the Danube River basin, each diagnosed by a set of unique mitochondrial DNA alleles. Barbus petenyi Heckel, 1852 from the Eastern and Southern Carpathians and from the Stara Planina Mts is redescribed and a neotype is designated. Barbus carpathicus, new species, is distributed in the Western and Eastern Carpathians. Barbus balcanicus, new species, occurs in the Dinaric and Western Stara Planina Mts. The three species are morphologically similar to each other but B. balcanicus can be distinguished by subtle differences in the snout shape and body and fin colour pattern. As evident from genetic data the name B. cyclolepis waleckii Rolik, 1970 was proposed for the hybrids between B. barbus and B. carpathicus and cannot be used as valid.
Blind mole rats are model organisms for studies of chromosomal evolution, and have a variety of chromosomal forms in Turkey. This study was performed on subterranean mole rats of Nannospalax xanthodon (Satunin, 1898) and N. ehrenbergi (Nehring, 1898) in Turkey. Karyotypes of 63 specimens originating from 30 localities were analysed. Two new cytotypes with 2n = 54 from Adana and 2n = 56 from Karaman, two different populations of the cytotypes 2n = 54C and 2n = 58S, and four different chromosomal arm numbers of the 2n = 60 cytotype (NF = 74, 76, 78 and 80) were determined in N. xanthodon. The cytotypes characterized by 2n = 54,
NF = 74 from Tufanbeyli and Saimbeyli in the Adana province (54S), and by 2n = 56, NF = 70 from Karaman (56K) are new for N. xanthodon in Turkey. A population of N. ehrenbergi from the Osmaniye province in southern Anatolia had a complement with 2n = 56, NF = 70. Additional karyological records for other cytotypes have extended their known distribution areas, and filled most karyological gaps in Turkey.