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Among the most important sociocultural phenomena of contemporary global societies, immigration brings significant changes to all areas of immigrants' life (family, profession, and quality of life), impacting their cultural identities, including identity associated with their language use. As migrants need to be understood in the languages they are proficient in, receive instruction in the destination language, and access essential services understandable to them, language becomes an indispensable agent of migration. In this context, our paper examines the impact of migration on the linguistic behaviour of immigrants, and recognising the pivotal role of language in facilitating the integration of immigrants into host societies. The study focuses on the circumstances Romanian immigrants within Belgium's multilingual milieu, illustrating the dimensions of the identity crisis they grapple with. Data analysis has shown that migration generates consistent changes regarding the immigrants' linguistic behaviour, driven, on the one hand, by their desire to be integrated in the host country and, on the other hand, by their attachment to the cultural heritage values of their country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on an analysis of the intonation patterns of different types of vocatives in Romanian language. We present the main characteristics of the tonal patterns observed in the vocative constructions instances of isolated vocatives and contexts in which vocatives occur in different positions: initial, middle, and final. Our analysis, in the framework of AM phonology with ToBI conventions, reveals that most of isolated vocatives are realized as LsH*(!)H% (vocative chant), and L+H* L% (insistent call). For non-isolated vocatives the most frequent contours are labeled as L+H* L% and H+L* L%. Cross-linguistically, our findings show that Romanian vocatives display the same pattern as other Romance languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and innovation play a key role in generating smart and sustainable economic growth. By producing new knowledge, the research contributes to the development of new and innovative products, processes, and services, which in turn lead to increased productivity, industrial competitiveness, and, ultimately, the prosperity of the community as a whole. However, all research, development and innovation activities depend on the financial resources made available, as specific financing accelerates the production and dissemination of the best ideas and practices, as well as their role in meeting the challenges our society deals with nowadays. Our study aims to identify the determining factors for the researcher's participation and success rates in research funding competitions. The goal of the research is to understand how variables such as age, gender, main field, affiliation, and scientific rank can affect the access to funding opportunities available for research and innovation. The study relies on a questionnaire-based survey conducted with 243 early-career and senior researchers from many state universities across Romania. For an in-depth analysis of the factors that influence the success rate in research competitions, in the present approach, we used both graphical and econometric methods. A binary logistic regression modelling was performed in order to explain the relationships between variables. Among other considerations, our findings revealed that in all main research fields, scientific rank and gender are important features for raising the participation and success rate in research funding competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish represent a good source of animal protein which contains all the essential amino acids. Also, fish meat is an important source of valuable lipids, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals with several benefits for human health. In this context, the biochemical composition of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), white bream (Blicca bjoerkna), barbel (Barbus barbus), asp (Aspius aspius), common bream (Abramis brama), ide (Leuciscus idus), Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio), European perch (Perca fluviatilis), and Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata) from the Danube River was studied to evaluate their nutritional value. Fish were captured in the year 2020, during the spring season (march-may), between km 169 of the river (Brăila) and km 197 of the Danube River (Gropeni). Fish samples were analyzed for water, protein, fat, moisture and ash, at the Nutrition Laboratory of Faculty of Food Science, University Dunărea de Jos, from Galați. From the obtained results we can conclude that the analyzed fish meat of some species from the Danube River represents a valuable source the consumers healthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alosa immaculata represents one of the most appreciated fish, mainly due to the high nutritive quality of meat. This study aimed to investigate the age, structure, growth and mortality parameters for Pontic shad population in the Romanian sector of the Danube River (km 169-km 197). Sampling was carried out from March to June 2020 during the migration season. According to the age, distribution varied from 2 to 7 years, being dominated by 4-year-old fish. Using the ELEFAN program in the FiSAT II computer package, the growth parameters based on length-frequency analysis were: FL8=43.05, and K=0.51 year-1. The length-weight relationship (L - W) was W = 0.069 × L2.400 (R² = 0.77). Total mortality (Z) had a value of 2.32, while the natural mortality (M) was 0.77 year-1 at an annual average temperature of 14.52°C. The fishing mortality was computed as F = Z - M and had a value of 1.55 year-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two metallacyclophanes have been assembled by self-assembly processes involving the trianionic compartmental ligand (L3-), nickel(II) and sodium or potassium ions: [LNiNa]2·C2H5OH·2H2O (1) and [LNiK]2·C2H5OH·2H2O (2) (the Schiff-base proligand, H3L, is obtained by condensation of o-vanillin and DL-2,3-diaminopropionic acid). The structures of 1 and 2 can be viewed as resulting from two enantiomeric fragments, {LNiNa/K} connected to each other by the two carboxylato groups. The intramolecular distance between the phenyl rings is 3.64 Å. The sodium/potassium ions are coordinated by five oxygens in a planar pentagon. Weak intermolecular sodium/potassium···CH interactions are observed in the packing diagrams of the two compounds. The intra- and intermolecular non-covalent interactions are analyzed through several methods based on electron density, Bader's QTAIM, non-covalent interactions index and natural bond orbitals. They confirm the in-plane five coordination of the alkali ion, which is of an electrostatic, non-covalent nature and the intermolecular interaction with σ C-H orbitals as well. The diffuse reflectance spectra of the two compounds show characteristic features of square-planar nickel(II) chromophores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the vast volume of Eminescu's journalistic work, this field has only been either approached tangentially or neglected altogether by specialists in Eminescu studies. Specialists have displayed various and occasionally thorough attempts to produce glossaries, failing however to exhaust the thematic and expression-related potential of the journalist's works. This article provides an overview of the main endeavours of editing Eminescu's journalistic works as well as its reception directions by emphasizing, wherever the case, possible shortcomings in the editing process or misinterpretations that marked the journalist's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, in the continental and marine waters of the Earth, there are over 33,400 species of fish. Over time, naturalists, and specialists in ichthyology have proposed several variants of systematic classification of fish. Thanks to new methods and advanced scientific research equipment, 300-500 new species are discovered every year. This explains the fact that in just 20 years (1998-2017), 7,436 species were described. In 2004, the scientific organization Integrated Taxonomic Information System published ITIS Report, in which a complete taxonomic hierarchy of the genus Alosa is presented. Alosa immaculata (Pontic shad), is an important fish species in the ecological system of the Danube-Delta-Black Sea, with a significant economic value due to the high catches and to the nutritional qualities of meat. The knowledge of the essential elements regarding the biology and the exploitation of the species contributes to ensuring the necessary information for the conservation of the species and the management of the stocks. The current level of knowledge on the biology of the Pontic shad is known from the researches of the Romanian and Russian specialists from the years 1960-1970, but in the last 30 years, numerous changes have occurred in the environmental and exploitation conditions of the species. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present as updated information as possible regarding the biology and exploitation of the Pontic shad, under the new environmental conditions, to meet the current objective of species conservation in the requirements of the sustainable exploitation of the stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trinuclear CoII and NiII complexes have been assembled using an octadentate Mannich–Schiff‐base proligand H2L2 which is obtained by reacting the Mannich base HL1 with propylenediamine (2:1 molar ratio). HL1 is obtained from 5‐bromo‐salicylaldehyde and N,N,N′‐trimethyl‐ethylenediamine. The reaction of H2L2 with nickel(II) and cobalt(II) as nitrate salts affords the trinuclear complexes [Ni3(L2)(NO3)4]·CH3CN (1) and [Co3(L2)(NO3)4]·CH3CN (2) in which the metal ions are bridged by one phenoxido and a nitrato‐oxygen atoms. Within each complex, two of the four nitrato groups act as chelating ligands against the terminal metal ions. The central metal ions in 1 and 2 are hosted into the salen‐like cavity of the organic ligand. The nitrato bridges can be replaced by end‐on azido or end‐on N‐thiocyanato groups leading to the compounds [Ni3(L2)(N3)2(NO3)2] (3), [Co3(L2)(N3)2(NO3)2] (4), and [Co3(L2)(NCS)2(NO3)2]·2CH3CN (5). The magnetic properties of the five compounds have been investigated, revealing the occurrence on intramolecular antiferro‐ (1 and 2) and ferromagnetic interactions (3, 4 and 5). The nature and size of these interactions are discussed and compared to previously reported results on related systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is part of a larger research on the relation between the potential users of multilingual dictionaries and the manner in which these dictionaries are conceived in order to be used in given usage contexts. The study aims, on the one hand, at indicating the design elements of a sample of Romanian multilingual dictionaries and, on the other hand, in assessing the degree in which the design of their content is adjusted according to the profile of the potential users targeted by the authors. The corpus consists of a sample of Romanian multilingual dictionaries, published in classic form in the period 1990-2010 and is based on the editorial information provided by the authors in the introductory sections of these works. Our analysis takes into account aspects such as: the selection of component languages, the choice and organization of the glossaries of words and/or terms, the scientific lexicographic features provided by the scientific apparatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at presenting the views of Mihai Eminescu, the journalist, upon school and the education system in our country in the 19th century, as mirrored by the articles published by the poet in the press of the time. The analysis is supported by excerpts from the journalistic corpus being anchored in the social, political and cultural context that offer the matrix for journalistic writing. Eminescu's observations are based, on the one hand, on his direct experience in the educational environment, experience acquired during his activity as school inspector in the counties of Iaşi and Vaslui, and on the other hand by the fact that he became familiar with the education systems adopted by other European countries (Germany, France, England), an aspect that favours the development of ample comparative analyses on this particular subject. At a time in which national unity was the supreme ideal of Eastern- European states, the school remains, in Eminescu's view, one of the most important elements for the conservation and cultivation of national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new homo- and heterotrimetallic complexes have been synthesized and crystallographically characterized: [Cu2(saldmpn)2(μ-OCH3)2Cu2(hfac)2] (1), [Ni2(valaepy)2(hfac)2] (2), [Cu(saldmpn)Co(hfac)2] (3) [H2saldmpn is the Schiff-base resulting from condensation of salicylaldehyde with 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-diaminopropane and Hvalaepy results from the reaction of o-vanillin with 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine)]. The structure of 1 consists of a neutral tetranuclear species that can be viewed as resulting from mutual coordination of one {(hfac)Cu(μ-OCH3)2(Cu(hfac)} and two {Cu(saldmpn)} building blocks. Compound 2 is a binuclear complex that results from two {Ni(hfac)(valaepy} fragments, the nickel(II) ions bridged by the two phenoxide-oxygens. The heterobinuclear complex 3 results from coordination of the [Cu(saldmpn)] metalloligand to cobalt(II) from the {Co(hfac)2} unit. The magnetic properties of 1-3 have been investigated from 1.9 to 300 K. An overall ferromagnetic behavior is observed for 1 and 2 leading to S = 2 low-lying spin state for each one. In the case of 3, a non-magnetic ground state results because of the occurrence of an intramolecular antiferromagnetic coupling between the copper(II) ion and the high-spin cobalt(II) ion, this last one behaving as an effective spin Seff = ½ at low temperatures where only the ground Kramers doublet of Co(II) is thermally populated. The values of the intramolecular magnetic couplings in 1-3 are compared with those from the literature on related systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between chlorin e6 (Ce6) and human serum albumin (HSA) in the presence and absence of ultrasound have been investigated by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Ce6 is found to bind strongly to HSA at or near physiological pH conditions, but the strength of the binding is significantly weakened at lower pHs. The intrinsic fluorescence of HSA is incrementally quenched with increasing concentration of Ce6, and the quenching is enhanced after exposure to high-frequency ultrasound. Our experimental results suggest that Ce6-induced sonodynamic oxidation of HSA is mainly mediated by singlet oxygen. The formulation of Ce6 by high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) increased its stability in aqueous solutions and its quantum yield of singlet oxygen under ultrasound irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appeal for annulment provides the parties with a procedural means to obtain a new trial in the event of significant procedural irregularities, such as disregarding the principle of the rights of the defense and of the contradictory nature but of the lawfulness. That is why the legislator has expressly and strictly provided strict conditions for the admissibility of this extraordinary remedy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Built around certain recurrent myths (the golden age, the hero as a redeemer, otherness), Eminescu's political imaginary reflects the attitude and political views of a journalist who constantly refuses to be enslaved by the ideological constraints imposed by the two political groups of the time. Due to his journalistic activity, conducted for over seven years, Eminescu becomes the chronicler of the social-political events of his time. The state and its structures, the administration and the social institutions, the governing system, the Romanian people's geographic and historical background, as well as the cultural and artistic life of the nineteenth century gain enriched values in Eminescu's publicistic works, regarded as a genuine historical document of that age. The present study aims at presenting some of the structures that substantiate Eminescu's political imaginary, as pointed out by the articles published by the poet in the journals of his time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data mining is the process of discovering information in data warehouses and can be described as a unifier between Statistics, Artificial Intelligence and databases. Data mining techniques allow information extraction and making forecasts starting from historical data. In the first part of the paper we describe the methods used in Data Mining, then implement data in ODM and study the regression model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large volumes of data have raised the problem of their use from the exploitation up to the result, and the Data Mining technology uses complex search methods that aim to identify some patterns and clusters of data, some trends in the consumers' behavior that can be used to anticipate their future behavior. Methods for knowledge extraction from data represent classes of problems that are subject to different solving algorithms. Of all algorithms, the current paper is dealing with decision trees and we will present a classifying application on which we will study the decision trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the majority of works published so far on k-means algorithm, the study was performed on numerical data and functions with which the distance between the data points can be calculated. Recently, as far as the clustering issue is concerned, the problem of using absolute data has also been raised, and the algorithms used so far have been considered unacceptable for their implementation in large databases. This article aims to apply accurately the "notion of the cluster center" on a set of absolute objects and how it is used in issues related to absolute objects grouping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DEFINED AS THE MEETING SPACE OF POLITICAL DISCOURSES BELONGING TO THE THREE MAIN ACTORS WHO HAVE THE LEGITIMATE RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR PUBLIC OPINION ON POLITICS ? POLITICIANS, JOURNALISTS AND THE PUBLIC OPINION (THROUGH POLLS), POLITICAL COMMUNICATION REFLECTS THE IMAGE OF THE BALANCE OF FORCES AND THE SYMBOLIC EXCHANGES ON THE POLITICAL STAGE. THE PRAGMATIC APPROACH OF THE POLITICAL DISCOURSE, SEEN AS A SPECIFIC MEANS OF POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE AND COMMUNICATION, PROVES ITS EFFICIENCY THROUGH THE CONTINUOUS EFFORT OF EXPLAINING DISCURSIVE MECHANISMS, WHICH GIVE MEANING AND MOTIVATION TO POLITICAL ACTIONS. INTERESTED IN THE WAY IN WHICH THE DISCOURSE AUTHORS ADAPT THEIR DISCOURSE TO THE COMMUNICATION SITUATION AND THE INTERLOCUTORS' PROFILE, PRAGMATICS COMPLEMENTS THE SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THE POLITICAL DISCOURSE, STRESSING OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE CO-PRODUCTION PHENOMENON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination of crops used for food and feed production with Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), raise important health and economic issues all along the food chain. Acute exposure to high DON concentrations can alter the intestinal barrier, while chronic exposure to lower doses may exert more subtle effects on signal transduction pathways, leading to disturbances in cellular homeostasis. Using real-time cellular impedance measurements, we studied the effects exerted in vitro by low concentrations of DON (0.37-1.50 µM), relevant for mycotoxin-contaminated food, on the proliferation of undifferentiated Caco-2 cells presenting a tumorigenic phenotype. A 1.5 µM concentration of DON maintained cell adherence of non-proliferating Caco-2 cells, whilst arresting the growth of actively proliferating cells compared with control Caco-2 cells in vitro. At 0.37 µM, DON enhanced Caco-2 cell metabolism, thereby triggering a moderate increase in cell proliferation. The results of the current study suggested that low concentrations of DON commonly detected in food may either limit or sustain the proliferation of colon cancer cells, depending on their proliferation status and on DON concentration. Soluble factors released by Lactobacillus strains can partially counteract the inhibitory action of DON on actively proliferating colon cancer cells. The study also emphasized that real-time cellular impedance measurements were a valuable tool for investigating the dynamics of cellular responses to xenobiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 19th century, and especially its second decade, represents an essential stage in the historical process of the modern Romanian State foundation. The years 1859 and 1877 are distinguished as reference years in the history of our people. The former is the year of the First Union of the Principalities, while the latter is the year when the Romanian state gains its independence on the battlefield. In an era in which national autonomy becomes a stringent issue for most European states, Romanian press focuses mainly on the attempts of the Romanian political class towards territorial unification and the gaining of independence. Following the Berlin Peace Conference our country is imposed, as a price for its independence, to give up three counties of Southern Bessarabia (Cahul, Ismail, Bolgrad) to Russia, a situation that was thoroughly debated in the newspapers of the time. This study aims at analysing the importance given to the Bessarabia issue by the Romanian press at the end of the 19th century and the way this issue is treated by four publications, considered representative for the Romanian journalistic discourse of that time: „Românul”, „Timpul”, „Voința Națională” and „Epoca”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Known by his readers especially through his poetical work, for seven years, Eminescu had an intensive journalistic activity, signing in publications as "Familia" ('The Family'), "Federațiunea" ('The Federation') "Curierul de Iași" ('The Iasi Courier'), "Timpul" ('The Time'), "România liberă" ('Free Romania') and "Fântâna Blanduziei" ('Blanduzia's Fountain'). We suggest in our communication an outline of the journalist Eminescu's portrait as it appears in the notes made by the ones who knew him directly, on one hand, and on the other hand, as it is revealed by the articles that the poet published in the media of that time. Considered as a Cinderella of Eminescu's creation, the journalistic work keeps on remaining a domain tangentially approached or, most frequently, neglected by Eminescu's exegetes, considering that its' publishing would have put a shadow upon the poet's image. Insufficiently known by the public and partially studied by the exegetes, Eminescu's journalistic writing reflects the image of a man strongly attached to the events of the nineteenth century, of a deep connoisseur regarding the issues that troubled the Romanian society in a world in which just a few things were as supposed to be. Even if some of the articles can disappoint through their acid tone and the pathos that overpass the lines of an objective speech, Eminescu's journalistic work overwhelms by the vast thematic approached, by the variety of expression means and by the encyclopaedic perspectives that it reveals. Everything draws the journalist's attention, from the internal to the external political events, from demographical studies to economical analysis, from the historical facts to civilisation and culture aspects, from mathematical problems to philosophical interrogations. Journalist's virulent verb, his political spirit, his accuracy and erudition place Eminescu among the representative voices for the Romanian journalistic creation from the second half of the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central theme of the study represents the civil procedural law withdrawal remedies. They occupy an important place within the system of extraordinary means of appeal, both due to the diversity of reasons that may lead to their exercise and to the consequences that may occur as a result of the acceptance of such remedies. The correct identification of the hypothesis for legal grounds for promoting withdrawal remedies and knowing the circumstances within which such an appeal is admissible frees the litigant from the unnecessary expenditures of time and material or even moral resources and lead to a faster acceptance of a decision in the relevant case. It is more accurate and thorough knowledge of the law governing these remedies is particularly important protagonists of a lawsuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appeal against delay in proceeding is a new institution in the Romanian procedural landscape, expression of the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights pointed towards the Contracting States in order to adopt and implement internal remedies for delay cases in proceedings. The profile of this procedure drafted by the legislator raises questions about how this remedy is integrated in the renowned appeals system and which is its' character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical assessment of the intellectual property is a complex and difficult issue due to the myriads of factors influencing it, and to the fact that the methodologies applied differ from one country to another, from one continent to another. Therefore, the responsibility of those who carry out transactions with these intangible assets is maximum, as they also have social and/or political implications. The classical methods for appraising the intellectual property are the same as those used for assessing the intangible assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our article advances a semiotic approach to Eminescu's journalistic activity, by assuming at the methodological level the hexadic model of situational analysis, developed by the logician Petru Ioan. The choice for a semiotic analysis of Eminescu's journalism - as a product of a historical and determined epoch, but also as a reflection of the journalist belief/vision on the realities of his time, is motivated, on one hand, by the methodological potential of semiotics that favors the interrelation of all parameters of communication situation and, on the other hand, by the necessity to correlate Eminescu's journalistic language to the specificity of the time that generated it. As a fact of signification/ resignification and communication through signs, Eminescu's journalistic activity is suitable to a situational analysis to the extent that involves a set of relationships between the journalist and the articles' receivers, is generated by a particular socio-historical context, uses particular techniques of signification and follows certain finalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with the Greek polis we notice an extraordinary preeminence of the language over the other instruments of the power. Language becomes the political instrument by excellence, the key of any authority in the state, the means of dominating the other. This power of the language (of which the Greek made a deity Peitho, the persuasion power) reminds of the power of the words and of the formulas in certain religious rituals. The word is no longer in this case a ritualistic word, an incantatory formula, but a place for debate, for discussion, for argumentation. We basically witness a desacralisation of the word meant, on the politics field, to win, to mould, to incite, to subdue. The word is expressed now in the discourse, it is moulded according to the necessities of the antithetic demonstration, being subdued to the oratorical art. Between politics and logos there is a relationship of reciprocity, the political art being essentially an art of the language, and the language in its turn gets a conscience of its own self, of the rules, of its efficiency through the political function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the late 19th century, a number of investigators were working on perfecting isolated heart model, but it was Oscar Langendorff who, in 1895, pioneered the isolated perfused mammalian heart. Since that time, the Langendorff preparation has evolved and provided a wealth of data underpinning our understanding of the fundamental physiology of the heart: its contractile function, coronary blood flow regulation and cardiac metabolism. In more recent times, the procedure has been used to probe pathophysiology of ischaemia/reperfusion and disease states, and with the dawn of molecular biology and genetic manipulation, the Langendorff perfused heart has remained a stalwart tool in the study of the impact upon the physiology of the heart by pharmacological inhibitors and targeted deletion or up-regulation of genes and their impact upon intracellular signalling and adaption to clinically relevant stressful stimuli. We present here the basic structure of the Langendorff system and the fundamental experimental rules which warrant a viable heart preparation. In addition, we discuss the use of the isolated retrograde perfused heart in the model of ischaemia-reperfusion injury ex-vivo, and its applicability to other areas of study. The Langendorff perfusion apparatus is highly adaptable and this is reflected not only in the procedure''s longevity but also in the number of different applications to which it has been turned. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: We sought to ascertain whether chronic oral therapy with atorvastatin protects against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.Background: We have recently shown that acute atorvastatin treatment protects against reperfusion-induced injury by activating the PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway. However, many patients are on chronic statin therapy, and it is necessary to investigate whether this, in itself, provides a therapeutic advantage.Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were orally treated for one day, three days, one week, or two weeks with 20 mg/kg of atorvastatin or vehicle, after which the hearts underwent 35 min of ischemia and 120 min reperfusion (IR). Two additional groups were treated for one or two weeks with atorvastatin and then received a supplementary dose of 40 mg/kg before IR. The risk zone was determined using Evans blue and infarct size (IR%) using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining.Results: Treatment with atorvastatin for one and three days significantly reduced infarct size versus controls (38.9 +/- 3.1% vs. 56.4 +/- 2.3%; 39.3 +/- 2.4% vs. 61.3 +/- 3.8%, respectively). However, after one or two weeks of treatment, no protection was observed (52.6 +/- 3.8% vs. 58.6 +/- 4.3%; 58.3 +/- 2.7% vs. 52.4 +/- 5.7%, respectively). Surprisingly, a supplementary dose of atorvastatin recaptured the protection in the groups treated chronically (36.2 +/- 2.8% vs. 58.6 +/- 4.3%; 26.8 +/- 1.5% vs. 51.2 +/- 6.7%, at one and two weeks, respectively). Interestingly, we observed an increased level of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitor, in the chronic treated hearts.Conclusions: In conclusion, atorvastatin appears to have an acute protective effect that wanes with time associated with an increase in PTEN levels. This waning protection can be recaptured by an acute high dose given immediately before IR. These results may have protential clinical relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a gut incretin hormone that stimulates insulin secretion, also activates antiapoptotic signaling pathways such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase in pancreatic and insulinoma cells. Since these kinases have been shown to protect against myocardial injury, we hypothesized that GLP-1 could directly protect the heart against such injury via these prosurvival signaling pathways. Both isolated perfused rat heart and whole animal models of ischemia/reperfusion were used, with infarct size measured as the end point of injury. In both studies, GLP-1 added before ischemia demonstrated a significant reduction in infarction compared with the valine pyrrolidide (an inhibitor of its breakdown) or saline groups. This protection was abolished in the in vitro hearts by the GLP-1 receptor antagonist exendin (9-39), the cAMP inhibitor Rp-cAMP, the PI3kinase inhibitor LY294002, and the p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor UO126. Western blot analysis demonstrated the phosphorylation of the proapoptotic peptide BAD in the GLP-1-treated groups. We show for the first time that GLP-1 protects against myocardial infarction in the isolated and intact rat heart. This protection appears to involve activating multiple prosurvival kinases. This finding may represent a new therapeutic potential for this class of drug currently undergoing clinical trials in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Recruitment of the survival kinase cascades, PI3K–Akt and Raf–MEK1/2–Erk1/2, at the time of reperfusion, following a lethal ischemic insult, may mediate the protection associated with ischemic preconditioning (IPC). The exact interplay between these two kinase cascades in mediating this effect is not clear. We examine the ‘cross-talk’ between these kinase cascades in their contribution to IPC-induced protection. Methods and results: In isolated perfused rat hearts subjected to 35 min of lethal ischemia±ischemic preconditioning, the phosphorylation states of Akt, Erk1/2, p70S6K were determined after 15 min of reperfusion, and infarct size was measured after 120 min of reperfusion. IPC induced a threefold increase in Akt, Erk1/2, and p70S6K phosphorylation, at reperfusion. We found that inhibiting the PI3K–Akt (using LY294008) at reperfusion induced the phosphorylation of Erk1/2–p70S6K, and conversely, that inhibiting the MEK1/2–Erk1/2 pathway (using PD 98059) at reperfusion, induced the phosphorylation of Akt, suggesting ‘cross-talk’ between the two kinase pathways. However, this effect was not accompanied by a reduction in infarct size (43.1±7.2% with LY 294008 and 57.7±7.0% with PD 98059 vs. 46.3±5.8% in control; P=NS), suggesting that both the kinase cascades may need to be activated to mediate IPC-induced protection. IPC reduced the infarct–risk volume ratio to 17.8±2.3% from 46.3±5.8% in control (P<0.01). Inhibiting p70S6K, a kinase situated downstream of both PI3K and Erk1/2, using rapamycin, abolished IPC-induced protection (46.0±7.7% with IPC+RAPA vs. 17.8±2.3% with IPC; P<0.01). Conclusions: We report that, the survival kinase cascades PI3K–Akt and MEK1/2–Erk1/2, which are recruited at the time of reperfusion in response to ischemic preconditioning, exhibit ‘cross-talk’ such that inhibiting one cascade activates the other and vice versa. Furthermore, at the time of reperfusion, these kinase cascades mediate IPC-induced protection, by acting in concert via p70S6K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ischaemic preconditioning is associated with the activation of prosurvival mechanisms. Here we demonstrate that following a preconditioning protocol, the proapoptotic p53 is inactivated possibly via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-murine double minute 2 (Mdm2) phosphorylation. Our data show that in preconditioned hearts Mdm2 was significantly phosphorylated, and wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) abrogated this effect (Western blotting). Also in preconditioned hearts p53 was shown to be bound to phospho-Mdm2 (co-immunoprecipitation). Furthermore, pifithrin α (a p53 inhibitor), administered to isolated perfused hearts prior to ischaemia, significantly attenuated the infarction. In conclusion our results suggest that p53 is implicated in ischaemia/reperfusion injury and that preconditioning counterbalances this effect via PI3K-Akt-Mdm2 phosphorylation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the role of adenosine A[sub3] activation in protecting the myocardium from reperfusion and reoxygenation injury. Limitation of the myocardial injury; Improvement of the survival in isolated myocytes; Reduction of the apoptosis and necrosis in isolated myocytes.

M. M. Mocanu, R. M. Bell and D. M. Yellon. PI3 Kinase and not p42/p44 Appears to be Implicated in the Protection Conferred by Ischemic Preconditioning. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2002) 34, 661–668. Ischemic preconditioning results in an immediate phase of protection against lethal ischemia/reperfusion injury that is comprised of both irreversible necrosis and programmed cell death, apoptosis. We hypothesized that preconditioning may activate putative anti-apoptotic pathways, through the induction of either phosphatidyl inositol 3-OH kinase (PI3 kinase) or p42/p44 extracellular receptor kinase, attenuating total cell death. Isolated perfused rat hearts were preconditioned with two cycles of 5 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion. Then they were frozen for Western blot analysis or subjected to 35 min regional ischemia and 120 min reperfusion prior to infarct size assessment. Selective PI3 kinase inhibitors, wortmannin (W, 100 n M) and LY294002 (LY, 15 μM) and the p42/p44 inhibitor, PD 98059 (PD, 10 and 50 μM), were individually infused during the preconditioning protocol. One further group of hearts received both inhibitors (W and PD). The results were expressed as percentage of infarction within the risk zone. Inhibition of PI3 kinase by either W or LYpartially abrogated the infarct sparing effect of ischemic preconditioning (I/R%: 44.6±2.7 in C, 17.6±2.0 in IP, vs 32.2±4.2 in W, and 30.9±2.6 in LY, P<0.05). Inhibition of ERK phosphorylation however, had no significant effect upon infarct size reduction (17.6±2.0 in ischemic preconditioning vs 21.4±3.0 in IP+10 μM PD and 15.2±1.4 in IP+50 μM PD, P>0.05). Western blot analysis confirmed that PD abrogated the phosphorylation of p42/p44 and LY the phosphorylation of AKT. Combined inhibition with PD+W failed to further attenuate protection (27.6±1.3%,P >0.1). These data appear to demonstrate that the PI3 kinase, but not the p42/p44 cascade, is implicated in early ischemic preconditioning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heat shock proteins (hsp) represent a group of chaperones which protects the cells against a diversity of stresses. It has been demonstrated that hsp27 is constitutively present in cells where it plays an important role in different cytoprotective processes which ultimately inhibit cell death. We investigated the response of the isolated perfused mouse heart over expressing hsp27 to the ischaemia/reperfusion injury using infarct size as an end point. Our results show for the first time that mice over expressing hsp27 (verified by Western blotting analysis) were found to be protected from lethal ischaemia/reperfusion injury compared to their negative littermates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Exogenous zinc protects cardiac cells from reperfusion injury by targeting mitochondrial permeability transition pore through inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β," by Guillaume Chanoit and colleagues in the previous issue.

Contrastive focus highlights a certain element/constituent of the statement, which can occur in some specific communication situations that require the exclusion of some possible referential alternatives in the same context. In this paper we research the prosodic means of emphasizing the adjectival extension of the subjects in the statement with SVO structure - SEVO and SVOE. Our approach is based on a comparative analysis of the same statements uttered with "neutral" intonation (broad focus) and with contrastive focus on the adjective. The corpus was selected from the archives of The Multimedia Atlas of Romania (AMPRom) and represents the literary language spoken in six points of the atlas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously identified inbred rat strains differing in survival time to a severe controlled hemorrhage (StaH). In efforts to identify cellular mechanisms and ultimately genes that are important contributors to enhanced STaH, we conducted a study to characterize potential differences in cardiac mitochondrial proteins in these rats. Inbred rats from three strains [Brown Norway/Medical College of Wisconsin (BN); Dark Agouti (DA), and Fawn Hooded Hypertensive (FHH)] with different StaH (DA = FHH > BN) were assigned to one of three treatment groups (n= 4/strain): nonoperated controls, surgically catheterized rats, or rats surgically catheterized and hemorrhaged 24 h postsurgery. Rats were euthanized 30 min after handling or 30 min after initiation of a 26 min hemorrhage. After euthanasia, hearts were removed and mitochondria isolated. Differential protein expression was determined using 2D DIGE-based Quantitative Intact Proteomics and proteins identified by MALDI/TOF mass spectrometry. Hundreds of proteins (791) differed among inbred rat strains (P≤ 0.038), and of these 81 were identified. Thirty-eight were unique proteins and 43 were apparent isoforms. For DA rats (longest STaH), 36 proteins increased and 30 decreased compared with BN (shortest STaH). These 81 proteins were associated with lipid (e.g., acyl CoA dehydrogenase) and carbohydrate (e.g., fumarase) metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation (e.g., ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase), ATP synthesis (F1ATPase), and H2S synthesis (3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase). Although we cannot make associations between these identified mitochondrial proteins and StaH, our data do provide evidence for future candidate proteins with which to consider such associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Patients with diabetes and IHD experience worse clinical outcomes, suggesting that the diabetic heart may be more susceptible to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). In contrast, the animal data suggests that the diabetic heart may be either more, equally, or even less susceptible to IRI. The conflicting animal data may be due to the choice of diabetic and/or IRI animal model. Ischemic conditioning, a phenomenon in which the heart is protected against IRI by one or more brief nonlethal periods of ischemia and reperfusion, may provide a novel cardioprotective strategy for the diabetic heart. Whether the diabetic heart is amenable to ischemic conditioning remains to be determined using relevant animal models of IRI and/or diabetes. In this paper, we review the limitations of the current experimental models used to investigate IRI and cardioprotection in the diabetic heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrium attains a secretory architecture in preparation for embryo implantation, but the identity of most endometrial secretory products remains unknown. Our objective was to characterize the endometrial secretome and compare protein expression between prereceptive (luteinizing hormone [LH]+4) and receptive (LH+9) phase endometrium. Endometrial lavage was performed in 11 participants and analyzed by difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE). LH+4 and LH+9 specimens were labeled with cyanine fluorescent dyes Cy3 and Cy5 tags, respectively, and combined. Proteins were separated using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, isolated, trypsin-digested, and subjected to mass spectrometry. In all, 152 proteins were identified; 82 were differentially expressed. Most proteins with increased expression on LH+9 functioned in host defense, while proteins with decreased expression had many functions. A total of 14 proteins had changes suggesting altered posttranslational modification. This article describes the first application of proteomic analysis to endometrial secretions, allowing identification of novel endometrial proteins as well as those differentially secreted in prereceptive and receptive phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicting evidence exists whether diabetic myocardium can be protected by ischemic preconditioning (IPC). The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway is important in IPC. However, components of this cascade have been found to be defective in diabetes. We hypothesize that IPC in diabetic hearts depends on intact signaling through the PI3K-Akt pathway to reduce myocardial injury. Isolated perfused Wistar (normal) and Goto-Kakizaki (diabetic) rat hearts were subjected to 1) 35 min of regional ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion with infarct size determined; 2) preconditioning (IPC) using 5 min of global ischemia followed by 10 min of reperfusion performed one, two, or three times before prolonged ischemia; or 3) determination of Akt phosphorylation after stabilization or after one and three cycles of IPC. In Wistar rats, one, two, and three cycles of IPC reduced infarct size 44.7 ± 3.8% (P < 0.05), 31.4 ± 4.9% (P < 0.01), and 34.3 ± 6.1% (P < 0.01), respectively, compared with controls (60.7 ± 4.5%). However, in diabetic rats only three cycles of IPC significantly reduced infarction to 20.8 ± 2.6% from 46.6 ± 5.2% in controls (P < 0.01), commensurate with significant Akt phosphorylation after three cycles of IPC. To protect the diabetic myocardium, it appears necessary to increase the IPC stimulus to achieve the threshold for cardioprotection and a critical level of Akt phosphorylation to mediate myocardial protection. Diabetes 54:2360-2364, 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacological activation of the prosurvival kinases Akt and ERK-½ at reperfusion, after a period of lethal ischemia, protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. We hypothesized that ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protects the heart by phosphorylating the prosurvival kinases Akt and ERK-½ at reperfusion. In isolated perfused Sprague-Dawley rat hearts subjected to 35 min of lethal ischemia, the phosphorylation states of Akt, ERK-½, and p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K) were determined after 15 min of reperfusion, and infarct size was measured after 120 min of reperfusion. IPC induced a biphasic response in Akt and ERK-½ phosphorylation during the preconditioning and reperfusion phases after the period of lethal ischemia. IPC induced a fourfold increase in Akt, ERK-½, and p70S6K phosphorylation at reperfusion and reduced the infarct risk-to-volume ratio (56.9 ± 5.7 and 20.9 ± 3.6% for control and IPC, respectively, P < 0.01). Inhibiting the IPC-induced phosphorylation of Akt, ERK-½, and p70S6K at reperfusion with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY-294002 or the MEK-½ inhibitor PD-98059 abrogated IPC-induced protection (46.3 ± 5.8, 49.2 ± 4.0, and 20.9 ± 3.6% for IPC + LY-294002, IPC + PD-98059, and IPC, respectively, P < 0.01), demonstrating that the phosphorylation of these kinases at reperfusion is required for IPC-induced protection. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the reperfusion phase following sustained ischemia plays an essential role in mediating IPC-induced protection. Specifically, we demonstrate that IPC protects the heart by phosphorylating the prosurvival kinases Akt and ERK-½ at reperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]