The aim of the present work was to study the effect of 3- mercapto-5H-1,2,4-triazino[5,6-b]indole-5-acetic acid (CMTI), an efficient aldose reductase inhibitor, on sorbitol accumulation in selected organs of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in vivo . In addition, the effect of CMTI on aldose reductase back reaction and on sorbitol dehydrogenase was determined. The model of experimental diabetes in male Wistar rats induced by streptozotocin was used. Experimental diabetes was induced by triple intraperitoneal doses of streptozotocin on three consecutive days. In diabetic rats, significant elevation of sorbitol concentration in the sciatic nerve and eye lenses was recorded. CMTI administered intragastrically (50 mg/kg/day) for five consecutive days significantly inhibited sorbitol accumulation in the sciatic nerve, yet it was without effect in eye lenses of diabetic animals. For aldose reductase back reaction, the substrate affinity of glycerol to aldose reductase was one order lower than that of glyceraldehyde in forward reaction. In addition, the back reaction was much slower, characterized by Vmax value of about 30 times lower than that of the forward reaction. Inhibition of aldose reductase by CMTI was characterized by closely related IC50 values in submicromolar range for both forward and back reactions. No significant inhibition of the second enzyme of the polyol pathway, sorbitol dehydrogenase, by 100 μM CMTI was recorded (I=0.9±2.7 %, n=3). To conclude, the presented results showed the ability of CMTI to affect the polyol pathway in diabetic rats in vivo and represent thus a further step in a complex preclinical evaluation of CMTI as a potential agent for treatment of chronic diabetic complications., M. Soltesova Prnova, J. Ballekova, A. Gajdosikova, A. Gajdosik, M. Stefek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper presents idea flow, development and construction of an anthropomorphic hand which is intended to be used mainly in prosthetics. Fundamental results of simulations and optimization of grasp are shown. The prototype has been manufactured and the principal functionality of finger mechanism (drive three axes by one string) has been tested. A new mechanical principle has been developed which is based again on an idea of using less actuators then joints with keeping adaptability and functionality of the mechanism. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Here we describe the new trypanosomatid, Phytomonas borealis sp. n., from the midgut of the spiked shieldbugs, Picromerus bidens (Linnaeus), collected in two locations, Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts of Russia. The phylogenetic analyses, based on the 18S rRNA gene, demonstrated that this flagellate is a sister species to the secondary monoxenous Phytomonas nordicus Frolov et Malysheva, 1993, which was concurrently documented in the same host species in Pskov Oblast. Unlike P. nordicus, which can complete its development (including exit to haemolymph and penetration into salivary glands) in Picromerus bidens, the new species did not form any extraintestinal stages in the host. It also did not produce endomastigotes, indispensable for transmission in other Phytomonas spp. These observations, along with the fact that P. bidens overwinters at the egg stage, led us to the conclusion that the examined infections with P. borealis were non-specific. Strikingly, the flagellates from the Novgorod population contained prokaryotic endosymbionts, whereas the parasites from the second locality were endosymbiont-free. This is a first case documenting presence of intracellular symbiotic bacteria in Phytomonas spp. We suggest that this novel endosymbiotic association arose very recently and did not become obligate yet. Further investigation of P. borealis and its intracellular bacteria may shed light on the origin and early evolution of endosymbiosis in trypanosomatids., Anna I. Ganyukova, Alexander O. Frolov, Marina N. Malysheva, Viktoria V. Spodareva, Vyacheslav Yurchenko and Alexei Yu. Kostygov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is severe medicalcondition
occurring in critically ill patients and with mortality of 33-52 % is one of the leading causes of death in critically ill patients. To better understand pathophysiology of ARDS and to verify novel therapeutical approaches a reliable animal model is needed. Therefore we have developed modified
lavage model of ARDS in the pig. After premedication (ketamine and midazolam)35 healthy pigs were anesthetized (propofol, midazolam,
morphin, pipecuronium) and orotracheally intubated and ventilated. Primary
ARDS was induced by repeated cycles of lunglavage with a detergent Triton X100 diluted in saline (0.03 %) heated to 37 °C preceded by pre
-oxygenation with 100 % O2. Single cycle included two subsequent lavages
followed by detergent suction. Eachcyclewas followed by hemodynamic
andventilation stabilization for approx. 15 min, with eventualadministration of vasopressors according to an arterial bloodpressure. The lavage procedure
was repeated until the paO2/FiO2index after stabilization remained below 100 at PEEP 5 cm H2O. In 33 pigs we have achieved the desired degree
of severe ARDS(PaO2/FiO2<100). Typical number of lavages was 2-3 (min. 1,max.5). Hemodynamictolerance and the need for vasopressors
were strongly individual. In remainingtwo animalsan unmanageable hypotension developed. For other subjects theexperimental ARDS stability was good and allowed reliablemeasurement for more than 10 h. The
present model of theARDS is clinically relevant and thus it is suitable for further research of the pathophysiology and management of this serious
medical condition.
In this paper, we propose a client-server based framework that alleviates the dissemination of XSS worms from the OSN. The framework initially creates the views corresponding to retrieved request on the server-side. Such views indicate that which part of the generated web page on the server can be accessed by user depending on the generated Access Control List (ACL). Secondly, JavaScript attack vectors are retrieved from the HTTP response by referring the blacklist repository of attack vectors. Finally, injection of sanitization primitives will be done on the client-side in place of extracted JavaScript attack vectors. The framework will perform the sanitization on such attack vectors strictly in a context-aware manner. The experimental testing of our framework has performed on the two platforms of open source OSN-based web applications. The observed detection rate of JavaScript attack vectors was effective and acceptable as compared to other existing XSS defensive methodologies. The proposed framework has optimized the method of auto-context-aware sanitization in contrast to other existing approaches and hence incurs a low and acceptable performance overhead.
The optimal and reliable performance of doubly fed induction generator is essential for the efficient and optimal operation of wind energy conversion systems. This paper considers the nonlinear dynamic of a DFIG linked to a power grid and presents a new robust model predictive control technique of active and reactive power by the use of the linear matrix inequality in DFIG-based WECS. The control law is obtained through the LMI-based model predictive control that allows considering both economic and tracking factors by optimization of an objective function, constraints on control signal and states of system and effects of nonlinearities, generator parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. Robust stability in the face of bounded disturbances and generator uncertainty is shown using Lyapunov technique. Numerical simulations show that the proposed control method is able to meet the desired specification in active and reactive power control in the presence of varieties of wind speed and pitch angle.
As part of a biodiversity study in northwestern Hungary, we conducted a parasitological survey of small mammals. In both common shrews (Sorex araneus Linnaeus) and pygmy shrews (Sorex minutus Linnaeus), we found myxospores of a species of Soricimyxum Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007 (Myxosporea) and plasmodia in the bile ducts within the liver. Spores from both species of shrewswere morphologically and morphometrically indistinguishable, but differed in their SSU rRNA gene sequences by 3.3%. We identified spores and developmental stages from the common shrew as Soricimyxum fegati Prunescu, Prunescu, Pucek et Lom, 2007, based on morphometric data and DNA sequence similarity. Spores from the pygmy shrew were only 96.7% similar to S. fegati, hence we identified them as a novel myxosporean Soricimyxum minuti sp. n. This is only the second myxosporean parasite species described from mammals., Csaba Székely, Gábor Cech, Stephen D. Atkinson, Kálmán Molnár, László Egyed, András Gubányi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Endothelin B (ETB) receptors present in abundance the central nervous system (CNS) have been shown to have significant implications in its development and neurogenesis. We have targeted ETB receptors stimulation using a highly specific agonist, IRL-1620, to treat CNS disorders. In a rat model of cerebral ischemia intravenous administration IRL-1620 significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological and motor functions compared to control. This improvement, in part, is due to an increase in neuroregeneration. We also investigated the role of IRL-1620 in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). IRL-1620 improved learning and memory, reduced oxidative stress and increased VEGF and NGF in Aβ treated rats. IRL-1620 also improved learning and memory in an aged APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of AD. These promising findings prompted us to initiate human studies. Successful chemistry, manufacturing and control along with mice, rat and dog toxicological studies led to completion of a human Phase I study in healthy volunteers. We found that a dose of 0.6 μg/kg of IRL-1620 can be safely administered, three times every four hours, without any adverse effect. A Phase II clinical study with IRL-1620 has been initiated in patients with cerebral ischemia and mild to moderate AD., A. Gulati, M. G. Hornick, S. Briyal, M. S. Lavhale., and Seznam literatury
Ten ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from three subfamilies feed on honeydew excreted by nymphs of the leafhopper Balclutha punctata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). This relationship is facultative for the partners. Preliminary field observations suggest a mutualistic interaction that represents an intermediate stage in the spectrum of formicid-hemipteran mutualisms. Behavioural adaptations of the leafhopper (no escape reaction) and the ants (no predation of leafhoppers, protection from spiders) are evident, but characters of advanced facultative mutualism such as physical contact between the partners or ant-triggered excretion of honeydew were not observed.
In this short note, we introduce a new architecture for spiking perceptron: The actual output is a linear combination of the firing time of the perceptron and the spiking intensity (the gradient of the state function) at the firing time. It is shown by numerical experiments that this novel spiking perceptron can solve the XOR problem, while a classical spiking neuron usually needs a hidden layer to solve the XOR problem.