Soluble leptin receptor (SLR) is the extracellular part of the leptin receptor. This protein is released into circulation and constitutes the main circulating leptin-binding protein. The aim of our study was to measure SLR concentrations in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and healthy subjects and to explore the relationship of SLR to other hormones and cytokines. The patients with CRF had significantly higher serum leptin, TNF-a and insulin levels than healthy subjects (25.1±23.5 vs. 9.4±7.6 ng.ml-1 (S.D.); 14.2±4.2 vs. 4.55±2.5 ng.ml-1; 39.8±36.1 vs. 20.3±11.1 mU.l-1). Serum soluble leptin receptor levels did not differ between these groups (19.1±11.3 vs. 19.6±6.1 U.ml-1). An inverse relationship between serum SLR and leptin levels was found in both groups. In patients with CRF the inverse relationship between SLR and insulin, body fat content and total protein levels were also found, while in healthy subjects only inverse relationship of SLR with insulin and albumin concentrations were detected. We conclude that soluble leptin receptor levels in patients with chronic renal failure do not differ from those of healthy subjects despite higher serum leptin levels in CRF patients. The physiological consequences of this finding require further investigation., J. Křížová, S. Sulková, V. Bednářová, E. Kotrlíková, M. Haluzík., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Apoptosis plays crucial role in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis, as it limits further development of the disease. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of soluble total antigen (STAg) of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) on the apoptotic and anti-apoptotic pathways. PMA-activated THP-1 cell line was sensed by T. gondii STAg and the expression patterns of caspase-3, -7, -8, -9, Bax, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1 genes were evaluated. The results showed statistically significant concentration-dependent overexpression of both Bcl-2 (P-value < 0.0001) and Mcl-1 (P-value = 0.0147). The cas-7 showed overexpression in all concentrations (P-value < 0.0001). The cas-3 was suppressed in concentrations 100, 80, and 40 µg, but statistically significant downregulated in concentrations 10 and 20 µg. The Bax was suppressed in concentrations 100 to 20 µg, while it slightly downregulated 1.42 fold (P-value = 0.0029) in concentration 10 µg. The expression of cas-8 and -9 was suppressed in all concentrations. Our results indicated that T. gondii STAg downregulated and suppressed apoptotic and upregulated anti-apoptotic pathways. The upregulation of cas-7 in this study may indicate the role of T. gondii STAg in activation of inflammatory responses.
Four plant species, Elymus mollis Trin., Carex kobomugi Ohwi, Glehnia littoralis F. Schmidt ex Miq., and Vitex rotundifolia L.f., are dominant perennial species in coastal sand dunes of Korea. We examined a physiological adaptation of these species by measurements of diurnal variation in photosynthesis and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence and solute patterns in leaves during one season (June), which is favorable for plant growth of all four species. All four species adopted different strategies in order to utilize radiation and to maintain water status under a fluctuating microclimate. Although the lowest water contents among four plant species was found, E. mollis with a high Chl and K+ content showed better photosynthetic performance, with high stomatal conductance (gs), net photosynthetic rate (PN), instantaneous carboxylation efficiency (CE), and water-use efficiency. Midday depression of PN in E. mollis and G. littoralis, without a reduction of gs, was associated with a reduction in CE and maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, indicating nonstomatal limitation. Photosynthesis depression in both C. kobomugi and V. rotundifolia, with relatively low gs values, could be attributed to both stomatal and nonstomatal limitations. The high storage capacity for inorganic ions in E. molli, C. kobomugi, and G. littoralis may play an efficient role in regulating photosynthesis and maintaining leaf water status through stomatal control, and can also play an important role in osmotic adjustment., J.-S. Hwang, Y.-S. Choo., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper demonstrates that the sensor cover energy problem in wireless communication can be transformed into a linear programming problem with max-plus linear inequality constraints. Consequently, by a well-developed preprocessing procedure, it can be further reformulated as a 0-1 integer linear programming problem and hence tackled by the routine techniques developed in linear and integer optimization. The performance of this two-stage solution approach is evaluated on a set of randomly generated instances and demonstrates that it is capable of solving large size instances of the sensor cover energy problem.
We investigated how postural responses to galvanic vestibular stimulation were affected by standing on a translating support surface and by somatosensory loss due to diabetic neuropathy. We tested the hypothesis that an unstable surface and somatosensory loss can result in an increase of vestibulospinal sensitivity. Bipolar galvanic vestibular stimulation was applied to subjects who were standing on a force platform, either on a hard, stationary surface or during a backward platform translation (9 cm, 4.2 cm/s). The intensity of the galvanic stimulus was varied from 0.25 to 1mA. The amplitude of the peak body CoP displacement in response to the galvanic stimulus was plotted as a function of stimulus intensity for each individual. A larger increase in CoP displacement to a given increase in galvanic current was interpreted as an increase of vestibulospinal sensitivity. Subjects with somatosensory loss in the feet due to diabetes showed higher vestibulospinal sensitivity than healthy subjects when tested on a stationary support surface. Control subjects and patients with somatosensory loss standing on translating surface also showed increased galvanic response gains compared to stance on a stationary surface. The severity of the somatosensory loss in the feet correlated with the increased postural sensitivity to galvanic vestibular stimulation. These results showed that postural responses to galvanic vestibular stimulus were modified by somatosensory information from the surface. Somatosensory loss due to
diabetic neuropathy and alteration of somatosensory input during stance on translating support surface resulted in increased vestibulospinal sensitivity.
o assess a possible influence of short-term administration of somatostatin on remission development in adult patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 1, the somatostatin analog octreotide was given for two weeks after the establishment of the diagnosis at the daily dose of 150 mg subcutaneously in addition to the regular insulin and metabolic therapy. When compared to the control group, the remission was achieved earlier in the octreotide group (6±4 weeks vs. 11±12 weeks in the control group, p<0.05) and its duration was longer (99±49 weeks vs. 49±31 weeks in the control group, p<0.05). Moreover, remission also appeared in patients from the octreotide group with lower endogenous residual secretion of insulin (basal C peptide at the time of diagnosis in patients who later entered remission was 0.23±0.16 nmol/l vs. 0.34±0.18 nmol/l in the control group, p<0.05). The increase of 24-h urine excretion of C-peptide after the therapy with octreotide was predictive for remission development. It can thus be concluded that octreotide administration in adults with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 1 positively influences both the onset and duration of remission.
The decapeptide QLNLKEYNLV corresponding to the C-terminus of Gq/G11alpha guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins) was synthesized by the solid-phase method and conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The rabbits were immunized with these conjugates and an antiserum that reacted specifically with the alpha subunit of Gq/G11 proteins was used in this study. The antiserum exhibited no cross-reactivity with the alpha subunits of stimulatory (Gs) or inhibitory (Gi) G-proteins associated with adenylate cyclase. Immunoblots with the antiserum showed that it specifically recognized the Gq/G11 alpha-proteins in cholate extracts of adipose tissue membranes of goats. Treatment of young castrated male goats with bST had no effect on the quantity of Gq/G11 alpha-subunits in adipose tissue and the results thus obtained did not support the idea that the bST signal in adipose tissue is transmitted via Gq/G11 alpha-proteins., V. Krbeček, H. Kovářů, J. Škarda, T. Barth, J. Velek, V. Žižkovský., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Bothitrema bothi (MacCallum, 1913), a monopisthocotylean monogenean (Bothitrematidae) found on gills and occasionally on the olfactory rosette within the nares of the bothid flounder, Scophthalmus aquosus (Mitchill, 1815), is distributed along the Atlantic coast of the USA from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Delaware Bay. This study details aspects of the morphology, microecology and biology of the oncomiracidium, juvenile and adult. Adult worms occur almost exclusively between rakers on the first and second gill arches while juveniles occupy secondary gill filaments. Analysis of variance revealed significant arch, side and position effects. Worm attachment and position is maintained largely by suction generated by a circular seal using its 54 radially arranged accessory haptoral sclerotised elements and a marginal valve. A small anterior appendix with two marginal hooks lies dorsal to a deep anteromedian cleft in the haptor, which, together with wall muscles, creates and releases the negative pressure required for attachment. Four pairs of gland openings in the ventrolateral margins of the anterior adhesive area produce secretions for attachment. Operculate eggs with four rounded protuberances and a filament are laid individually at four-minute intervals at 22ºC. Hatching occurs in five days at 20°C. Oncomiracidia have two pairs of eyes, with the posterior pair fused, show both positive and negative phototaxis and swim at a mean rate of 5.2 mm/s at 22°C. Larvae have a circle of 16 hooks and a pair of hamulus primordia. Other accessory haptoral sclerotised structures arise de novo in juveniles after attachment to the host. These data will help to resolve more clearly the relationships of the Bothitrematidae within the Monopisthocotylea.
About 300 species belonging to four superfamilies (Gnathostomatoidea, Habronematoidea, Physalopteroidea and Thelazioidea) of the nematode suborder Spirurina are known as the adult parasites of freshwater, brackish-water and marine fishes. They are placed in four families, of which the Gnathostomatidae, including Echinocephalus with a few species and the monotypic Metaleptus, are parasites of elasmobranchs, whereas Ancyracanthus contains one species in teleosts; the Physalopteridae is represented in fish by four genera, Bulbocephalus, Heliconema, Paraleptus and Proleptus, each with several species in both elasmobranchs and teleosts. The majority of fish spirurines belongs to the Rhabdochonidae, which includes 10 genera (Beaninema, Fellicola, Hepatinema, Heptochona, Johnstonmawsonia, Megachona, Pancreatonema, Prosungulonema, Rhabdochona and Vasorhabdochona) of species parasitizing mainly teleosts, rarely elasmobranchs, and the Cystidicolidae with about 23 genera (Ascarophis, Caballeronema, Capillospirura, Comephoronema, Crenatobronema, Cristitectus, Ctenascarophis, Cyclozone, Cystidicola, Cystidicoloides, Johnstonmawsonoides, Metabronema, Moravecnema, Neoascarophis, Parascarophis, Prospinitectus, Pseudascarophis, Pseudoproleptus, Salvelinema, Similascarophis, Spinitectoides, Spinitectus, Sterliadochona), with many species parasitic in teleosts only. Because of difficulties in studying fish spirurines, associated with their morphological and biological peculiarities, most species of these parasites are poorly known. It is apparent that their present classification system does not reflect phylogenetic relationships and a taxonomic revision of this nematode group, based on detailed morphological (including SEM and TEM), life history and molecular studies of individual species, is quite necessary. In Cystidicolidae, several genera have been based on details in the cephalic structures visible only with the aid of SEM, but it will be evident whether or not these tiny features are of generic importance only when more cystidicolids are described using SEM and comparative molecular data become available. Data on the biology of fish spirurines are scarce. In known cases, their life cycles involve aquatic arthropods (crustaceans or insects) as intermediate hosts, in which, sometimes, the larvae undergo a precocious development and may even attain adulthood and become gravid in these invertebrates; sometimes, fish paratenic hosts are known to occur in cystidicolids parasitizing as adults piscivorous definitive hosts. Some spirurine species are pathogenic and are known as causative agents of serious fish diseases. and Consequently, further detailed studies on fish spirurines are significant not only from the theoretical viewpoint, but they may also have practical implications.
The nematode superfamily Dracunculoidea includes 166 recognized species, of which 150 (90%) are parasitic in about 300 species of freshwater, brackish-water and marine fishes. Fish dracunculoids are placed in 31 genera (86% of all dracunculoid genera) belonging to eight of the nine dracunculoid families: Anguillicolidae, Daniconematidae, Guyanemidae, Lucionematidae, Micropleuridae, Philometridae, Skrjabillanidae, and Tetanonematidae; the genus Lockenloia is considered incertae sedis. Because of difficulties in studying fish dracunculoids, associated with their morphological and biological peculiarities, most species of these largely histozoic parasites are poorly known and males of the majority of species and of eight genera have not yet been discovered. It is apparent that the present classification system of dracunculoids as a whole does not reflect phylogenetic relationships and a taxonomic revision of this nematode group, based on detailed morphological (including SEM and TEM), life history and molecular studies of individual species, is quite necessary. Data on the biology of fish dracunculoids is scarce. In known cases, their life cycles involve copepods, ostracods or branchiurids as intermediate hosts and, sometimes, fish paratenic hosts are known to occur in dracunculoid species parasitizing as adults piscivorous definitive hosts. However, nothing is known about the life cycles of representatives of 20 genera. Some species of dracunculoids, particularly of philometrids, are highly pathogenic and are known as agents of serious fish diseases. During recent years, especially the importance of Philometra spp. parasitizing the gonads of many species of marine fishes has increased due in particular to the rapid development of marine aquaculture, because they may significantly decrease fish reproduction or even cause full parasitic castration. Therefore, further detailed studies on fish dracunculoids are significant not only from the theoretical viewpoint, but they may also have practical implications.