We investigated the differences between the lavage parameters - including tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and interferon-y (IFN-y) release by lavage leukocytes - in control rats and in animals intratracheally instilled with short and long amosite and wollastonite fibres. These cytokines can play an important role in lung disease development after long-term exposure to some fibrous dusts. Short and long amosite and wollastonite fibres were intratracheally instilled in rats (1 mg/week) for ten weeks while saline was given to controls. To compare the harmful effects of these fibres, the number of leukocytes/ml of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), the number of alveolar macrophages (AM) per ml of BAL, AM:granulocyte (GR) ratios in lavage fluid, phagocytic activity and viability of AM, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), acid phosphatase (AcP), and TNF-a and IFN-y release by lavage leukocytes were investigated 3 months after the first intratracheal instillation. Compared with the controls, amosite short fibres significantly decreased the numbers of AM/ml BAL, and increased their phagocytic activity and AcP release. Long amosite fibres significantly decreased the numbers of AM/ml BAL, increased the number of granulocytes depressed the phagocytic activity and viability of AM, and significantly decreased the levels of TNF-a and IFN-y in supernatants of cultured leukocytes. While wollastonite short and long fibre instillation did not significantly influence the parameters studied (except for a significantly increased number of leukocytes/ml BAL in wollastonite long fibres), amosite short and long fibres caused marked differences in these parameters, the long fibres being more effective.
Two new, one known and three unidentified species of the nematode family Camallanidae are reported and described from the intestines of marine perciform fishes off the southwestern coast of New Caledonia, South Pacific: Camallanus carangis Olsen, 1952 from the forked-tailed threadfin bream Nemipterus furcosus (Nemipteridae), the yellowstriped goatfish Upeneus vittatus and the whitesaddle goatfish Parupeneus ciliatus (both Mullidae) (new host records); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) variolae sp. n. from the white-edged lyretail Variola albimarginata (type host) and the blacktip grouper Epinephelus fasciatus (both Serranidae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) longus sp. n. from the twotone tang Zebrasoma scopas (Acanthuridae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 1 (female tail with 2 terminal spikes on a digit-like projection) from the speckled sandperch Parapercis hexophtalma (Pinguipedidae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 2 (female tail with 1 spike on a digit-like projection) from the drab emperor Lethrinus ravus (Lethrinidae) and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 3 (female tail with a smooth digit-like protrusion) from the two-lined monocle bream Scolopsis bilineata (Nemipteridae). Camallanus paracarangis Velasquez, 1980 is synonymized with C. carangis. Several additional species of Camallanus from marine fish of the Indo-Pacific region may be synonymous with C. carangis as it has a poorly sclerotized left spicule and 3 small caudal projections on the tail of young (i.e., non-gravid) females. The fourth-stage larva of C. carangis is described for the first time. P. (S.) variolae differs from most similar species of this region mainly in the position (i.e., at level or posterior to the nerve ring) and shape of deirids. P. (S.) longus differs from the similar P. (S.) chaimha mainly in a different arrangement of postanal papillae, shape of the female tail, much longer right spicule (429 µm) and longer body of gravid females (38-55 mm). All Camallanus and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) spp. reported here represent the first records of camallanids from marine fishes in New Caledonian waters.
Oxidative stress is a phenomenon associated with pathogenetic mechanisms of several diseases including atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory diseases, as well as psychological diseases or aging processes. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between production of free radicals and reactive metabolites, so-called oxidants, and their elimination by protective mechanisms, referred to as antioxidative systems. This imbalance leads to damage of important biomolecules and organs with potential impact on the whole organism. Oxidative and antioxidative processes are associated with electron transfer influencing the redox state of cells and the organism. The changed redox state stimulates or inhibits activities of various signal proteins, resulting in a changed ability of signal pathways to influence the fate of cells. At present, the opinion that oxidative stress is not always harmful, has been accepted. Depending on the type of oxidants, intensity and time of redox imbalance as well as on the type of cells, oxidative stress can play a role in the regulation of other important processes through modulation of signal pathways, influencing synthesis of antioxidant enzymes, repair processes, inflammation, apoptosis and cell proliferation, and thus processes of malignity. Imprudent administration of antioxidants may therefore have a negative impact on the organism., Z. Ďuračková., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
In the present in vitro experiments we examined FSH- and ghrelin-induced changes in ovarian hormone secretion by transgenic rabbits. Fragments of ovaries isolated from adult transgenic (carrying mammary gland-specific mWAP-hFVIII gene) and non-transgenic rabbits from the same litter were cultured with and without FSH or ghrelin (both at 0, 1, 10 or 100 ng/ml medium). The secretion of progesterone (P4), estradiol (E2) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was assessed by RIA. It was observed that ovaries isolated from transgenic rabbits secreted much less P4, E2 and IGF-I than the ovaries of non-transgenic animals. In control animals FSH reduced E2 (at doses 1-100 ng/ml medium) and IGF-I (at 1-100 ng/ml), but not P4 secretion, whereas ghrelin promoted P4 (at 1 ng/ml) and IGF-I (at 100 ng/ml), but not E2 output. In transgenic animals, the effects were reversed: FSH had a stimulatory effect on E2 (at 100 ng/ml) and ghrelin had an inhibitory effect on P4 (at 10 ng/ml). No differences in the pattern of influence of FSH on P4 and IGF-I and of ghrelin on E2 and IGF-I were found between control and transgenic animals. The present observations suggest that 1) both FSH and ghrelin are involved in rabbit ovarian hormone secretion, 2) transgenesis in rabbits is associated with a reduction in ovarian secretory activity, and 3) transgenesis can affect the response of ovarian cells to hormonal regulators., A. V. Sirotkin, P. Chrenek, K. Darlak, F. Valenzuela, Ž. Kuklová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Several culture media as well as some factors that may affect the in vitro development of the nematode Anisakis simplex Rudolphi, 1809 have been studied. After testing six media and four temperatures, the conditions for the in vitro culture selected were as follows: RPML1640 + 20% (v/v) heat-inactived fetal bovine serum or Meyer’s М3 (without agar) media, at 37"C, under 5% C02 in air atmosphere, and renewal of the medium twice a week. The average survival rates of the larvae were significantly increased when the pH of the culture medium was increased (from 4.0 to 7.2) or decreased (from 7.2 to 4,0) after L, to L4 moulting. The length of the larvae at the onset of culture affected the survival and moulting of themselves, but these were culture medium-dependent. On the other hand, we have observed that several L, and L, were attached, by means of a brown unknown substance apparently secreted by themselves, to the bottom of the substratum. Frequently, when a larva was spontaneously detached, a “cap” of the brown substance blocked, apparently, its mouth. The possible absorption of nutrients through the L, larvae cuticle of A. simplex is discussed.
A grant project for the period 2003-2005, supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, was set up to determine properties of seismic waves and the structure of the uppermost part of the Earth´s crust in the territory of northern Moravia and Silesia. Quarry blasts and mining induced seismic events served as seismic sources. Permanent, temporary and portable seismic stations were used for the monitoring of these seismic events. During the experiments local microearthquakes were also detected and localized. For the complex evaluation of seismic wave features, data of the CELEBRATION 2000 and SUDETES 2003 refraction experiments were incorporated, as well. The velocity-depth dependence of body waves was searched by joint inversions of travel times of Pg/Sg phases. A special feature of the wave trains, generated by quarry blasts, was a pronounced dispersive character of short-period Rayleigh surface waves. These waves enabled us to establish their dispersion curves, on the basis of which the structure of superficial layers was determined down to a depth of several hundreds of meters., Karel Holub, Jaromír Knejzlík, Bohuslav Růžek, Jana Rušajová and Oldřich Novotný., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In this short paper, I focus on several properties of the so-called Hybrid View of Fictional Characters. First, I present the theory to be discussed. Subsequently, I present several remarks on the consequences of the theory, mainly the problem of identifying fictional characters and the problem of modal properties of sentences containing fictional names.
An examination of three specimens of the Morelet's crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii Duméril et Bibron, from the Lagoon of Celestún, Yucatan, Mexico revealed the presence of the following eight helminth species: Acanthostomum americanum (Pérez Vigueras, 1956), Pelaezia loossi (Pérez Vigueras, 1956), Telorchis sp. juv., Pseudoneodiplostomum groschafti sp. n. (all trematodes), Dujardinascaris helicina (Molin, 1860), Contracaecum sp. Type 2 larvae, Micropleura sp. and Paratrichosoma recurvum (Solger, 1877) (all nematodes). Pseudoneodiplostomum groschafti sp. n. is established by indication based on the description of specimens from Crocodylus rhombifer from Cuba, given by Groschaft and Baruš (1970). Acanthostomum acuti Caballero et Brennes, 1959 is considered a synonym of A. americanum. A. americanum and D. helicina are recorded for the first time from Mexico and Micropleura sp. is the first American representative of the genus recorded outside South America. Findings of A. americanum, Telorchis sp., P. groschafti, D. helicina and Micropleura sp. in C. moreletii represent new host records. Some observations on the early development of D. helicina are provided. All species, except for P. recurvum, are briefly described and illustrated and some problems concerning their morphology, taxonomy and geographical distribution are discussed.
The Fokker-Planck (FP) equation is frequently used when the response of the dynamic system subjected to additive and/or multiplicative ramdom noises is investiagted. It provides the probability density function (PDF) representing the key information for further study of the dynamic system. Various analytic and semi-analytic solution methods have been developed for various systems to obtain results requested. However numerical approaches offer a powerful alternative. In particular the Finite Element Method (FEM) seems to be very effective. A couple of single dynamic linear/non-linear systems under additive and multiplicative random excitations are discussed using FEM as a solution tool of the FP equation. and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The karyotypes of 73 specimens of subterranean mole rats of the superspecies Spalax leucodon Nordmann, 1840 from 21 localities, and six specimens of the superspecies Spalax ehrenbergi Nehring, 1898 from three localities in Turkey were analysed. S. leucodon has 2n = 56, NF = 78 in the populations from Thrace; and 2n = 48, NF = 71; 2n = 50, NF = 70; 2n = 50, NF = 72; 2n = 54, NF = 75; 2n = 56, NF = 72; 2n = 58, NF = 72; 2n = 60, NF = 74; 2n = 60, NF = 76; 2n =60, NF = 77 in the populations from Anatolia. S. ehrenbergi has 2n = 56, NF = 72 in the Adana population, and 2n =52, NF = 74 in the Elbeyli population. According to these karyological findings based on chromosome morphology, the diploid chromosome number of 2n = 48, NF = 71 reported here is new for Spalax leucodon in Turkey. The karyological peculiarities and distributional area of mole rats in the European part of Turkey have been determined in detail, and shown that only the 2n = 56 form is distributed in Thrace.