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Experiments were repetitively held in the laboratory of a research centre on a group of twenty-four participants for four different heating systems. All were of same age and wore similar clothing. Half were male and half female. During these 288 experiments objective indoor environment parameters (air temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity and air velocity) were measured, as well as subjective parameters (body surface temperatures) during low-intensity physical activity. Participant´s satisfaction with the thermal comfort was observed. They evaluated their perceptions on questionnaires. The thermal comfort of participants and influence of the type of heating system was evaluated based on these answers. On the basis of these subjective perceptions, acceptable air temperatures for control of various heating systems were evaluated.

Activated endothelial cells play a crucial role in the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis, which can underlie the development of several diseases. Different antiangiogenic therapies aimed against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the dominant pro-angiogenic cytokine, have been developed. Because the treatment is limited in its efficiency and has side effects, new approaches are currently being evaluated. One of them is aimed at blocking glycolysis, the dominant energetic pathway of activated endothelial cells during vessel sprouting. In the present study we investigated the efficiency of a combined strategy to inhibit glycolysis and block VEGF action on proliferation and migration in human endothelial cells. Human endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with different doses of the glycolysis inhibitor 3-(3-pyridinyl)-1- (4-pyridinyl)-2-propen-1-one (3PO) in combination with the multikinase inhibitor sunitinib l-malate. Our results show that HUVECs with reduced glycolytic activity are more sensitive to co-administered sunitinib. Analysis of post-receptor pathways controlling proliferation and migration of HUVECs showed suppression of phosphorylated PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 after exposure to sunitinib but not to 3PO in 10 µM concentration. Our results suggest that simultaneous inhibition of energy metabolism and blocking of pro-angiogenic growth factor signalling pathways can be a promising strategy to inhibit the pathological form of angiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of methanol-water (4:1, v/v) extracts of spices on the acrylamide formation as well as correlation between acrylamide contents and antioxidant capacities of these extracts was investigated. The extracts of spices (pimento, black pepper, marjoram, oregano) were applied before the heat treatment to a model mixture simulating a fresh potato matrix. Antioxidant capacities of the extracts were determined by four assays, namely, determination of DPPH-scavenging capacity, thiobarbituric acid number, reducing power, and total phenolic compounds. Addition of the extracts resulted in a different reduction of acrylamide contents -- up to 75% with pimento extract and 50% with black pepper extract in comparison with the control. Also, eugenol as the main component of pimento essential oil resulted in mitigation of acrylamide content at approx. 50%. The effect of the extracts on the reduction of acrylamide contents was in a correlation with antioxidant capacities of the applied spices, in particular with their DPPH-scavenging capacities (r = -0.996), reducing power (r = -0.978), and contents of oxidative products expressed as thiobarbituric acid number (r = -0.919). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]