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The studies included 2 water bodies in Cracow (Kraków), 6 water bodies in the commune of Zabierzów (Cracow County) and 4 in the commune of Niepołomice (Wieliczka County). The studies were carried out in June 2018 and May 2019. The ways on management of the water bodies were compared. Problems related to revitalization were identified. One of these problems is the preservation of biodiversity. In some cases revitalization reduces biodiversity. This can happen due to the liquidation or limitation of the reed bed zone. Such a situation was observed in the water bodied of Zelków and Karniowice (com. Zabierzów). Both have ornamental functions now. Removal of most of reed does not disturb mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), but makes it impossible to nest for other birds such as moorhen (Galinula chloropus). Moorhens were observed in two former fish ponds in Staniątki (com. Niepołomice) and in the pond of the Kaczeńcowa street. In one of them revitalization caused the diminishing of the water area, but did not change the character of the water body. Bird species were recorded at water bodies.

OBJECTIVES: Characteristics of Swiss patients with systemic sclerosis have not been described so far. The aim of the current study was to identify unmet needs in comparison with other European countries that could inform specific interventions to improve the care of systemic sclerosis patients. METHODS: We analysed Swiss and other European systemic sclerosis patients registered in European Scleroderma Trials And Research (EUSTAR) and the Very Early Diagnosis Of Systemic Sclerosis (VEDOSS) cohort. Demographics, clinical profiles, organ involvement and survival of established, early/mild and very early / very mild systemic sclerosis patients were described and compared between the cohorts. RESULTS: We included 679 Swiss and 8793 European systemic sclerosis patients in the analysis. Over 95% of patients in both cohorts were Caucasian, disease subsets were similar, and no age difference was found. The Swiss cohort had more male patients (25% vs 16% European, p = 0.005) and higher prevalence of early/mild and very early / very mild patients (26.1 vs 8.5% European and 14.9% vs 6.7% European, respectively, both p

The glycoprotein Prominin-1 and the carbohydrate Lewis X stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 (LeX-SSEA1) both have been extensively used as cell surface markers to purify neural stem cells (NSCs). While Prominin-1 labels a specialized membrane region in NSCs and ependymal cells, the specificity of LeX-SSEA1 expression and its biological significance are still unknown. To address these issues, we have here monitored the expression of the carbohydrate in neonatal and adult NSCs and in their progeny. Our results show that the percentage of immunopositive cells and the levels of LeX-SSEA1 immunoreactivity both increase with postnatal age across all stages of the neural lineage. This is associated with decreased proliferation in precursors including NSCs, which accumulate the carbohydrate at the cell surface while remaining quiescent. Exposure of precursors to bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) increases LEX-SSEA1 expression, which promotes cell cycle withdrawal by a mechanism involving LeX-SSEA1-mediated interaction at the cell surface. Conversely, interference with either BMP signaling or with LeX-SSEA1 promotes proliferation to a similar degree. Thus, in the postnatal germinal niche, the expression of LeX-SSEA1 increases with age and exposure to BMP signaling, thereby downregulating the proliferation of subependymal zone precursors including NSCs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a class of small cellular RNAs (typically 21-23nt) that function as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Current estimates indicate that more than one third of the cellular transcriptome is regulated by miRNAs, although they are relatively few in number (less than 2000 human miRNAs). The high relative stability of miRNA in common clinical tissues and biofluids (e.g. plasma, serum, urine, saliva, etc.) and the ability of miRNA expression profiles to accurately classify discrete tissue types and disease states have positioned miRNA quantification as a promising new tool for a wide range of diagnostic applications. Furthermore miRNAs have been shown to be rapidly released from tissues into the circulation with the development of pathology. To facilitate discovery and clinical development of miRNA-based biomarkers, we developed a genome-wide Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA™)-based miRNA qPCR platform with unparalleled sensitivity and robustness. The platform allows high-throughput profiling of miRNAs from important clinical sources without the need for pre-amplification. Using this system, we have profiled thousands of biofluid samples including blood derived plasma and serum. An extensive quality control (QC) system has been implemented in order to secure technical excellence and reveal any unwanted bias coming from pre-analytical or analytical variables. We present our approaches to sample and RNA QC as well as data QC and normalization. Specifically we have developed normal reference ranges for circulating miRNAs in serum and plasma as well as a hemolysis indicator based on microRNA expression.

OBJECTIVE To study the use of ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) in primary care in Iceland. MATERIAL AND METHODS All patients who had ABPM done during the period from 1st of June 2008 till 31st of May 2010 at three health care centers comprised the study group. Medical records of these patients were examined and information about previous diagnosis of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, smoking habits and drug prescriptions along with results of blood pressure measurements were registrated. RESULTS A total of 205 ABPM were done during the study period. Mean age of the patients was 54 years ±15.1, the youngest being 18 and the oldest 87 years old. The study group comprised 119 (58%) women and 86 men (42%). The ABPM was done as a part of follow-up of hypertension in 112 (55%) cases, but among 93 patients it was used as an aid in the diagnosis of hypertension. The study showed that 88 (41%) were defined as dippers. The ABPM did not result in a change of treatment in 14% of cases, among 19% of subjects antihypertensive treatment was initiated whereas 16% did not require any treatment; in 6% of cases the antihypertensive treatment was reduced while in 13% it was necessary to increase the treatment. CONCLUSION We conclude that ABPM is a very useful tool in primary care settings, both to improve diagnosis and the treatment of hypertension.

Niche homeostasis in the postnatal subependymal zone of the lateral ventricle (lSEZ) requires coordinated proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells. The mechanisms regulating this balance are scarcely known. Recent observations indicate that the orphan nuclear receptor Tlx is an intrinsic factor essential in maintaining this balance. However, the effect of Tlx on gene expression depends on age and cell-type cues. Therefore, it is essential to establish its expression pattern at different developmental ages. Here, we show for the first time that in the neonatal lSEZ activated neural stem cells (NSCs) and especially transit-amplifying progenitors (TAPs) express Tlx and that its expression may be regulated at the posttranscriptional level. We also provide evidence that in both cell types Tlx affects gene expression in a positive and negative manner. In activated NSCs, but not in TAPs, absence of Tlx leads to overexpression of negative cell cycle regulators and impairment of proliferation. Moreover, in both cell types, the homeobox transcription factor Dlx2 is downregulated in the absence of Tlx. This is paralleled by increased expression of Olig2 in activated NSCs and glial fibrillary acidic protein in TAPs, indicating that in both populations Tlx decreases gliogenesis. Consistent with this, we found a higher proportion of cells expressing glial makers in the neonatal lSEZ of mutant mice than in the wild type counterpart. Thus, Tlx playing a dual role affects the expression of distinct genes in these two lSEZ cell types.

Fine-tuning of X chromosomal gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster involves the selective interaction of the Dosage Compensation Complex (DCC) with the male X chromosome, in order to increase the transcription of many genes. However, the X chromosomal DNA sequences determining DCC binding remain elusive. By adapting a 'one-hybrid' assay, we identified minimal DNA elements that direct the interaction of the key DCC subunit, MSL2, in cells. Strikingly, several such novel MSL2 recruitment modules have very different DNA sequences. The assay revealed a novel, 40 bp DNA element that is necessary for recruitment of DCC to an autosomal binding site in flies in the context of a longer sequence and sufficient by itself to direct recruitment if trimerized. Accordingly, recruitment of MSL2 to the single 40 bp element in cells was weak, but as a trimer approached the power of the strongest DCC recruitment site known to date, the roX1 DH site. This element is the shortest MSL2 recruitment sequence known to date. The results support a model for MSL2 recruitment according to which several different, degenerate sequence motifs of variable affinity cluster and synergise to form a high affinity site.

Background and Purpose — It has previously been shown that activation will increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral glucose uptake (CMR glc ) in excess of cerebral oxygen uptake (CMRO 2 ). Our purpose was to investigate the influence of β-adrenergic blockade with propranolol on the activation-induced uncoupling of cerebral glucose and oxygen metabolism. Methods — Using awake rats, we determined the cerebral arteriovenous differences of oxygen [(a−v) O2 ], glucose [(a−v) glc ], and lactate [(a−v) lac ] both under baseline conditions and during activation. The molar ratio between CMRO 2 and CMR glc , the oxygen-glucose index (OGI), was calculated. Results — Without β-adrenergic blockade, activation decreased the (a−v) O2 but not the (a−v) glc , reducing the OGI from 6.1 during baseline conditions to 4.0 under activation ( P O2 decreased, indicating that the ratio CBF/CMRO 2 had increased. Under baseline conditions, a slight flux of lactate from the brain was observed. Activation increased the arterial lactate concentration, and during this condition, the lactate flux from the brain was reversed into a slight lactate uptake. Propranolol administration did not change the behavior of the animals during activation. After administration of propranolol, baseline values were unaffected, but β-adrenergic blockade totally abolished the activation-induced uncoupling of (a−v) O2 from (a−v) glc , because both remained constant with an unchanged OGI. The unchanged (a−v) O2 indicates that CBF remained unchanged compared with CMRO 2 . Conclusions — β-Adrenergic blockade by propranolol abolishes the activation-induced uncoupling of cerebral oxygen to glucose metabolism and the changes in (a−v) O2 . This may be of most significance to studies of cerebral activation by the blood oxygen level–dependent fMRI method.

The activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) affects multiple aspects of neural precursor behaviour, including proliferation and migration. Telencephalic precursors acquire EGF responsiveness and upregulate EGFR expression at late stages of development. The events regulating this process and its significance are still unclear. We here show that in the developing and postnatal hippocampus (HP), growth/differentiation factor (GDF) 15 and EGFR are co-expressed in primitive precursors as well as in more differentiated cells. We also provide evidence that GDF15 promotes responsiveness to EGF and EGFR expression in hippocampal precursors through a mechanism that requires active CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR) 4. Besides EGFR expression, GDF15 ablation also leads to decreased proliferation and migration. In particular, lack of GDF15 impairs both processes in the cornu ammonis (CA) 1 and only proliferation in the dentate gyrus (DG). Importantly, migration and proliferation in the mutant HP were altered only perinatally, when EGFR expression was also affected. These data suggest that GDF15 regulates migration and proliferation by promoting EGFR signalling in the perinatal HP and represent a first description of a functional role for GDF15 in the developing telencephalon.

Mitochondrial morphology and function are coupled in healthy cells, during pathological conditions and (adaptation to) endogenous and exogenous stress. In this sense mitochondrial shape can range from small globular compartments to complex filamentous networks, even within the same cell. Understanding how mitochondrial morphological changes (i.e. “mitochondrial dynamics”) are linked to cellular (patho) physiology is currently the subject of intense study and requires detailed quantitative information. During the last decade, various computational approaches have been developed for automated 2-dimensional (2D) analysis of mitochondrial morphology and number in microscopy images. Although these strategies are well suited for analysis of adhering cells with a flat morphology they are not applicable for thicker cells, which require a three-dimensional (3D) image acquisition and analysis procedure. Here we developed and validated an automated image analysis algorithm allowing simultaneous 3D quantification of mitochondrial morphology and network properties in human endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cells expressing a mitochondria-targeted green fluorescence protein (mitoGFP) were visualized by 3D confocal microscopy and mitochondrial morphology was quantified using both the established 2D method and the new 3D strategy. We demonstrate that both analyses can be used to characterize and discriminate between various mitochondrial morphologies and network properties. However, the results from 2D and 3D analysis were not equivalent when filamentous mitochondria in normal HUVECs were compared with circular/spherical mitochondria in metabolically stressed HUVECs treated with rotenone (ROT). 2D quantification suggested that metabolic stress induced mitochondrial fragmentation and loss of biomass. In contrast, 3D analysis revealed that the mitochondrial network structure was dissolved without affecting the amount and size of the organelles. Thus, our results demonstrate that 3D imaging and quantification are crucial for proper understanding of mitochondrial shape and topology in non-flat cells. In summary, we here present an integrative method for unbiased 3D quantification of mitochondrial shape and network properties in mammalian cells.

Every particular society besides affirmative universal values, or the affirmation of the above, retains its specification based on their own traditional values. Which ultimately also make it different from other societies, distinct from them, despite the growing trends of globalization. Social, political, economic changes in a society inevitably affect the change of values who believes and supports a society and their hierarchy when we have to select their useful in a situation. Along with these changes recast the way society action and that’s the reason that we study the values of the society. However pillars of traditional values remains as a point of reference in the judgment to make a pretty diverse society and its collective behavior. We try to identify the traditional values of Albanian society and to achieve this we have chosen to take in analysis the Canon of Lek Dukagjin and the Canon of Laberia. Respectively in the north and the south part of the country, they have been domestic laws of behavior, cultural codes that have run all judgments and actions of people. A content analysis of them will help us build a profile of Albanian value patterns. And finally to see if we find this traditional values, behaviors usable in Albanian society today. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n8p141

Controversy exists as to whether the metabolic activity of the brain as a whole increases during physical exercise. For example, there appears to be no change in brain O2 uptake during cycling (Zobl et al. 1965; Madsen et al. 1993), whereas during vigorous exercise on the treadmill an increase in brain O2 uptake and a tendency for glucose uptake to increase has been reported (Scheinberg et al. 1954). In the case of mental stress, there is no appreciable change in brain O2 uptake but there is an increase in cerebral glucose uptake (Madsen et al. 1995a). Thus, the rate of glucose uptake is enhanced compared to that of O2. Interestingly, the ‘uncoupling’ between the O2 and glucose uptake rates is sustained even after the cessation of brain activation (Madsen et al. 1995a,b) and may be associated with a decrease in the glycogen level in the brain (Madsen et al. 1995a). During maximal exercise, blood lactate increases to as much as 30 mmol l−1 (Nielsen, 1999) and the brain is known to take up lactate (Ahlborg & Wahren, 1972). Lactate transport across mammalian plasma membranes is mainly carrier mediated (Poole et al. 1993) and a monocarboxylate transporter is found in rat brain endothelium cells (Gerhart et al. 1997). Brain tissue, including neurons (Dringen et al. 1993) and astrocytes (Tildon et al. 1993), possesses the capacity to take up and utilise lactate as an energy source. In fact, lactate rather than glucose may be the primary energy source during neuronal activation (Larrabee, 1996) when lactate is supplied by the glial cells to the neurons (Poitry-Yamate et al. 1995). A positive arterial-jugular venous concentration difference (a–v difference) for lactate has been demonstrated in the dog (Nemoto et al. 1974; Avogaro et al. 1990) and in humans during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Rivers et al. 1991). Taken together, these reports led us to hypothesise that the metabolic rate for the brain is increased during exercise and also in the recovery phase when lactate, in addition to glucose and O2, is taken into consideration as a metabolic substrate. Therefore, we investigated the a–v differences for glucose, lactate and O2 at rest, during exercise and in the immediate recovery period. Since arterial CO2 tension increases during moderate exercise and decreases during maximal exercise (Jorgensen et al. 1992), we applied an index of the metabolic rate of the brain that would be independent of flow, i.e. we calculated the O2/carbohydrate uptake ratio. In a separate experiment in the rat, we investigated whether an increase in blood lactate per se would influence brain uptake of lactate.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) generate new neurons in vivo and in vitro throughout adulthood and therefore are physiologically and clinically relevant. Unveiling the mechanisms regulating the lineage progression from NSCs to newborn neurons is critical for the transition from basic research to clinical application. However, the direct analysis of NSCs and their progeny is still elusive due to the problematic identification of the cells. We here describe the isolation of highly purified genetically unaltered NSCs and transit-amplifying precursors (TAPs) from the adult subependymal zone (SEZ). Using this approach we show that a primary cilium and high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at the cell membrane characterize quiescent and cycling NSCs, respectively. However, we also observed non-ciliated quiescent NSCs and NSCs progressing into the cell cycle without up-regulating EGFR expression. Thus, the existence of NSCs displaying distinct molecular and structural conformations provides more flexibility to the regulation of quiescence and cell cycle progression.

To study the use of ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) in primary care in Iceland.All patients who had ABPM done during the period from 1st of June 2008 till 31st of May 2010 at three health care centers comprised the study group. Medical records of these patients were examined and information about previous diagnosis of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, smoking habits and drug prescriptions along with results of blood pressure measurements were registrated.A total of 205 ABPM were done during the study period. Mean age of the patients was 54 years ±15.1, the youngest being 18 and the oldest 87 years old. The study group comprised 119 (58%) women and 86 men (42%). The ABPM was done as a part of follow-up of hypertension in 112 (55%) cases, but among 93 patients it was used as an aid in the diagnosis of hypertension. The study showed that 88 (41%) were defined as dippers. The ABPM did not result in a change of treatment in 14% of cases, among 19% of subjects antihypertensive treatment was initiated whereas 16% did not require any treatment; in 6% of cases the antihypertensive treatment was reduced while in 13% it was necessary to increase the treatment.We conclude that ABPM is a very useful tool in primary care settings, both to improve diagnosis and the treatment of hypertension.

The ubiquitous tandem kinase JIL-1 is essential for Drosophila development. Its role in defining decondensed domains of larval polytene chromosomes is well established, but its involvement in transcription regulation has remained controversial. For a first comprehensive molecular characterisation of JIL-1, we generated a high-resolution, chromosome-wide interaction profile of the kinase in Drosophila cells and determined its role in transcription. JIL-1 binds active genes along their entire length. The presence of the kinase is not proportional to average transcription levels or polymerase density. Comparison of JIL-1 association with elongating RNA polymerase and a variety of histone modifications suggests two distinct targeting principles. A basal level of JIL-1 binding can be defined that correlates best with the methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36, a mark that is placed co-transcriptionally. The additional acetylation of H4K16 defines a second state characterised by approximately twofold elevated JIL-1 levels, which is particularly prominent on the dosage-compensated male X chromosome. Phosphorylation of the histone H3 N-terminus by JIL-1 in vitro is compatible with other tail modifications. In vivo, phosphorylation of H3 at serine 10, together with acetylation at lysine 14, creates a composite histone mark that is enriched at JIL-1 binding regions. Its depletion by RNA interference leads to a modest, but significant, decrease of transcription from the male X chromosome. Collectively, the results suggest that JIL-1 participates in a complex histone modification network that characterises active, decondensed chromatin. We hypothesise that one specific role of JIL-1 may be to reinforce, rather than to establish, the status of active chromatin through the phosphorylation of histone H3 at serine 10.

It is well known that all cells of the Voronoi diagram of a Delaunay set are polytopes. For a finite point set, all these cells are still polyhedra. So the question arises, if this observation holds for all discrete point sets: Are always all Voronoi cells of an arbitrary, infinite discrete point set polyhedral? In this paper, an answer to this question will be given. It will be shown that all Voronoi cells of a discrete point set are polytopes if and only if every point of the point set is an inner point. Furthermore, the term of a locally finitely generated discrete point set will be introduced and it will be shown that exactly these sets have the property of possessing only polyhedral Voronoi cells., Preprints der Fakultät für Mathematik;2008-23

We analysed the nuclear organization of the Polycomb/Trithorax group response element (PRE/TRE) Fab-7 and of other PRE/TREs in larval tissues of D. melanogaster. The results show that pairing/clustering of transgenic and endogenous Fab-7 elements and of other endogenous PRE/TREs occurs only to a limited degree in a highly locus-specific and tissue-specific manner. However, transgenic Fab-7 elements as well as the Fab-7-regulated Abd-B gene and other endogenous loci preferentially occupied defined nuclear regions. Preferred association with the nuclear periphery was observed in the inactive state. However, also in the active state, Fab-7 was often found associated with the nuclear periphery as well as with the boundary of heterochromatin in a fly line- and tissue-specific manner. The boundary between heterochromatin and euchromatin revealed a highly complex architecture in the three-dimensional nuclear space with a close juxtaposition of active and repressed domains. The results suggest that such complex architectures create nuclear microenvironments sustaining specific states of activity of defined PRE/TREs. However, the data also show that the positional behaviour of the transgenic Fab-7 element does not apply to PRE/TREs in general. Altogether, this finding and the highly locus-, tissue-, and fly line-specific behaviour with regard to nuclear positioning and pairing/clustering suggest that the relationships between nuclear organization and functional regulation of PRE/TREs are highly complex and that simple models making general predictions might not be appropriate.

Albanian society is experiencing post-communist period, which is associated with numerous changes in the social, economic and political field. Important aspect, are the values that people believe and reflect on their daily behavior. Values change as a result of other changes, especially economic ones, but not so fast and immediate like in other areas. Inglehart explains that the change of values is a result of greater economic development, an economic development in a society influence to fulfill the basic requirements that people have to live, and in this way they have the tendency to require for another value orientation. (Inglehart,Baker,2000). In this regard, we try to look how the people in Albania, as a former closed communist society, might judge on certain social phenomenons that are difficult to be accepted and welcomed. Phenomena, such as divorce, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, prostitution, homosexuality, that are already common for a democratic society. Based on a quantitative methodology, surveys have been conducted to look at people's perceptions about these phenomena. These data are analyzed in this paper and bring us a society with traditional values. Analysis of these data will help us to understand better what kind of values we share in relation to the conception of this social phenomenon in albanian society, the problems that we can face and some predictions for the future.

Dosage compensation involves fine-tuning of gene expression at the level of entire chromosomes. The principles that assure selective targeting of the male X chromosome in Drosophila and the mechanism by which transcription levels are adjusted in a twofold range are still mysterious. We discuss the prevalent models in the context of recent experimental observations.

The Drosophila trithorax group gene kismet (kis)was identified in a screen for extragenic suppressors of Polycomb(Pc) and subsequently shown to play important roles in both segmentation and the determination of body segment identities. One of the two major proteins encoded by kis (KIS-L) is related to members of the SWI2/SNF2 and CHD families of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factors. To clarify the role of KIS-L in gene expression, we examined its distribution on larval salivary gland polytene chromosomes. KIS-L is associated with virtually all sites of transcriptionally active chromatin in a pattern that largely overlaps that of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II). The levels of elongating Pol II and the elongation factors SPT6 and CHD1 are dramatically reduced on polytene chromosomes from kis mutant larvae. By contrast, the loss of KIS-L function does not affect the binding of PC to chromatin or the recruitment of Pol II to promoters. These data suggest that KIS-L facilitates an early step in transcriptional elongation by Pol II.