Search

In the present study we attempted to ascertain the ethnic and religious structure of the population which in 1851 lived on the territory that is now known as Transcarpathia, based on data from the book by Elek Fényes (The Geographic Dictionary of Hungary… / Magyarország geographiai szótára…) published in the same year. According to the results of our research, we can state that the dominant ethnic community of the region at that time were the Rusyns (in Elek Fényes’s wording Russians), who lived predominantly in the mountainous territories. An important role in the ethnic structure was also played by Hungarians, Germans, Slovaks and Vlachs (Romanians). As to the religious composition, the most important denomination was that of Greek Catholics/Eastern Orthodox Christians, who formed an absolute majority in the region, their settlement area showing a close relationship with the location of the Rusyns.

Orderly chromosome segregation is enabled by crossovers between homologous chromosomes in the first meiotic division. Crossovers arise from recombination-mediated repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Multiple DSBs initiate recombination, and most are repaired without crossover formation, although one or more generate crossovers on each chromosome. Although the underlying mechanisms are ill-defined, the differentiation and maturation of crossover-specific recombination intermediates requires the cyclin-like CNTD1. Here, we identify PRR19 as a partner of CNTD1. We find that, like CNTD1, PRR19 is required for timely DSB repair and the formation of crossover-specific recombination complexes. PRR19 and CNTD1 co-localise at crossover sites, physically interact, and are interdependent for accumulation, indicating a PRR19-CNTD1 partnership in crossing over. Further, we show that CNTD1 interacts with a cyclin-dependent kinase, CDK2, which also accumulates in crossover-specific recombination complexes. Thus, the PRR19-CNTD1 complex may enable crossover differentiation by regulating CDK2.

Proteins of the conserved HORMA domain family, including the spindle assembly checkpoint protein MAD2 and the meiotic HORMADs, assemble into signaling complexes by binding short peptides termed "closure motifs". The AAA+ ATPase TRIP13 regulates both MAD2 and meiotic HORMADs by disassembling these HORMA domain-closure motif complexes, but its mechanisms of substrate recognition and remodeling are unknown. Here, we combine X-ray crystallography and crosslinking mass spectrometry to outline how TRIP13 recognizes MAD2 with the help of the adapter protein p31comet We show that p31comet binding to the TRIP13 N-terminal domain positions the disordered MAD2 N-terminus for engagement by the TRIP13 "pore loops", which then unfold MAD2 in the presence of ATP N-terminal truncation of MAD2 renders it refractory to TRIP13 action in vitro, and in cells causes spindle assembly checkpoint defects consistent with loss of TRIP13 function. Similar truncation of HORMAD1 in mouse spermatocytes compromises its TRIP13-mediated removal from meiotic chromosomes, highlighting a conserved mechanism for recognition and disassembly of HORMA domain-closure motif complexes by TRIP13.

Background: Cardiac rotational parameters in primary symptomatic left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are not well understood. We aimed to analyze cardiac rotation measured with cardiac magnetic resonance feature-tracking (CMR-FT) and speckle-tracking echocardiography (Echo-ST) in LVNC morphology subjects with preserved LVEF and different genotypes and healthy controls. Methods: Our retrospective study included 54 LVNC subjects with preserved LVEF and 54 control individuals. We evaluated functional and rotational parameters with CMR in the total study population and with echocardiography in 39 LVNC and 40 C individuals. All LVNC subjects were genotyped with a 174-gene next-generation sequencing panel and grouped into the subgroups: benign (B), variant of uncertain significance (VUS), and pathogenic (P). Results: In comparison with controls, LVNC subjects had reduced apical rotational degree (p = 0.004) and one-third had negative apical rotation. While the degree of apical rotation was comparable between the three genetic subgroups, they differed significantly in the direction of apical rotation (p<0.001). In contrast to control and B groups, all four studied cardiac rotational patterns were identified in the P and VUS subgroups, namely normal rotation, positive and negative rigid body rotation, and reverse rotation. When the CMR-FT and Echo-ST methods were compared, the direction and pattern of cardiac rotation had moderate to good association (p<0.001) whereas the rotational degrees showed no reasonable correlation or agreement. Conclusion: While measuring cardiac rotation using both CMR-FT and Echo-ST methods, subclinical mechanical differences were identified in subjects with LVNC phenotype and preserved LVEF, especially in cases with genetic involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RFamide peptide family is a group of proteins that share a common C-terminal arginine–phenylalanine–amide motif. To date, the family comprises five groups in mammals: neuropeptide FF, LPXRFamides/RFamide-related peptides, prolactin releasing peptide, QRFP, and kisspeptins. Different RFamide peptides have their own cognate receptors and are produced by different cell populations, although they all can also bind to neuropeptide FF receptors with different affinities. RFamide peptides function in the brain as neuropeptides regulating key aspects of homeostasis such as energy balance, reproduction, and cardiovascular function. Furthermore, they are involved in the organization of the stress response including modulation of pain. Considering the interaction between stress and various parameters of homeostasis, the role of RFamide peptides may be critical in the development of stress-related neuropathologies. This review will therefore focus on the role of RFamide peptides as possible key hubs in stress and stress-related psychopathologies. The neurotransmitter coexpression profile of RFamide-producing cells is also discussed, highlighting its potential functional significance. The development of novel pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of stress-related disorders is an ongoing need. Thus, the importance of RFamide research is underlined by the emergence of peptidergic and G-protein coupled receptor-based therapeutic targets in the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment of a city is influenced by global and local climate changes, pollution load from transport, industry and local heat sources. Green spaces as part of the urban green infrastructure fulfil multiple ecosystem services and improve the environmental and residential quality of a city. The level of positive effects of green spaces depends on their area, distribution within the city and the proportion of trees. The aim of the paper was to evaluate land cover structure in a selected segment of the housing estate Klokočina in Nitra, Slovakia. The evaluation focused on the share of biologically active and inactive surfaces, as well as the parameters of woody plant structure in green spaces. Green areas account for 58.70%, while built-up areas, parking lots and roads cover in total 41.30%. Biologically inactive anthropogenic horizontal and of building envelope areas represent 67.30%. Biologically active green areas represent 32.70%. The share of areas with tree crown overlap on horizontal areas is 20.82%, other areas are paved surfaces or grassland. We calculated the indices of the quality of green spaces from the individual categories of areas: proportional green area index (PGAI), effective green area index (EGAI) and tree shade index (TSI). The tree species composition consists of 36 deciduous and 11 coniferous tree species, and 20 shrub species. We evaluated the biometric traits of trees as the tree height, crown width, stem girth and tree vitality class (TVC). The correlations between tree traits were statistically tested with a significant result. In the group of biologically active areas of greenery, we propose to increase the proportion of trees, to establish more natural lawns and xerophyte flower beds. In the category of inactive areas, we propose the reconstruction of parking lots to grass paved surfaces.