The role of polymorphisms of genes CXCL12/CXCR4 and MIF in the risk development IBD the Polish population

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are characterized recurrent inflammation of gastrointestinal tract. The etiology and pathogenesis this disease is currently unclear, but it has become evident that immune and genetic factors are involved in this process. The aim of this study was to determine whether gene polymorphisms: MIF-173 G/C; CXCL12-801 G/A and CXCR4 C/T exon 2 position of rs2228014 is associated with susceptibility to IBD. A total of 286 patients were examined with IBD, including 152 patients with ulcerative colitis and 134 with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 220 healthy subjects were recruited from the Polish population. Genotyping for polymorphisms in CXCL12/CXCR4 and MIF was performed by RFLP-PCR. Statistical significance was found for polymorphisms CXCR4, a receptor gene for CXCL12 genotypes and alleles in CD and for genotype C/T and T allele in ulcerative colitis with respect to control. This confirms the effect of CXCL12 gene. The interplay between CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 affects homeostasis and inflammation in the intestinal mucosa. Three-gene analysis in CD confirmed the association of genotype GGGGCT. Statistical analysis of clinical data of patients with ulcerative colitis showed significant differences in the distribution of genotype C/T and T allele for CXCR4 in the left-side colitis. Having CXCR4/CXCL12 chemokine axis polymorphisms may predispose to the development of IBD. Activation can also be their defensive reaction to the long-lasting inflammation.     

Reproducibility of In-Vivo OCT Measured Three-Dimensional Human Lamina Cribrosa Microarchitecture

Purpose

To determine the reproducibility of automated segmentation of the three-dimensional (3D) lamina cribrosa (LC) microarchitecture scanned in-vivo using optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

Thirty-nine eyes (8 healthy, 19 glaucoma suspects and 12 glaucoma) from 49 subjects were scanned twice using swept-source (SS−) OCT in a 3.5×3.5×3.64 mm (400×400×896 pixels) volume centered on the optic nerve head, with the focus readjusted after each scan. The LC was automatically segmented and analyzed for microarchitectural parameters, including pore diameter, pore diameter standard deviation (SD), pore aspect ratio, pore area, beam thickness, beam thickness SD, and beam thickness to pore diameter ratio. Reproducibility of the parameters was assessed by computing the imprecision of the parameters between the scans.

Results

The automated segmentation demonstrated excellent reproducibility. All LC microarchitecture parameters had an imprecision of less or equal to 4.2%. There was little variability in imprecision with respect to diagnostic category, although the method tends to show higher imprecision amongst healthy subjects.

Conclusion

The proposed automated segmentation of the LC demonstrated high reproducibility for 3D LC parameters. This segmentation analysis tool will be useful for in-vivo studies of the LC.     

The influence of habitat structure on genetic differentiation in red fox populations in north-eastern Poland

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the widest global distribution among terrestrial carnivore species, occupying most of the Northern Hemisphere in its native range. Because it carries diseases that can be transmitted to humans and domestic animals, it is important to gather information about their movements and dispersal in their natural habitat but it is difficult to do so at a broad scale with trapping and telemetry. In this study, we have described the genetic diversity and structure of red fox populations in six areas of north-eastern Poland, based on samples collected from 2002–2003. We tested 22 microsatellite loci isolated from the dog and the red fox genome to select a panel of nine polymorphic loci suitable for this study. Genetic differentiation between the six studied populations was low to moderate and analysis in Structure revealed a panmictic population in the region. Spatial autocorrelation among all individuals showed a pattern of decreasing relatedness with increasing distance and this was not significantly negative until 93 km, indicating a pattern of isolation-by-distance over a large area. However, there was no correlation between genetic distance and either Euclidean distance or least-cost path distance at the population level. There was a significant relationship between genetic distance and the proportion of large forests and water along the Euclidean distances. These types of habitats may influence dispersal paths taken by red foxes, which is useful information in terms of wildlife disease management.     

Comparative study of DNA damage and repair in head and neck cancer after radiation treatment

We compared DNA damage and the efficacy of its repair after genotoxic treatment with γ-radiation of lymphocytes and tissue cells isolated from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (HNSCC) and healthy donors. Thirty-seven subjects with HNSCC and 35 healthy donors were enrolled in the study. The extent of DNA damage including oxidative lesions and efficiency of the repair were examined by alkaline comet assay. HNSCC cancer cells were more sensitive to genotoxic treatment and displayed impaired DNA repair. In particular, lesions caused by γ-radiation were repaired less effectively in metastasis of HNSCC than in healthy controls. The differences in radiation sensitivity of cancer and control cells suggested that DNA repair might be critical for HNSCC treatment. We conclude that γ-radiation might be considered as an effective therapeutic strategy for head and neck cancers, including patients in advanced stage of the disease with clear evidence of metastasis.     

Rates of lateral channel migration along the Mala Panew River (southern Poland) based on dating riparian trees and Coarse Woody Debris

Two methods of estimating the lateral migration of a river channel have been proposed. The first method is based on Coarse Woody Debris (CWD) dating. The terraces of the Mala Panew River are mainly covered with plantations of Pinus sylvestris where individual trees grow at equal distances to each other. During times of high discharges trees fall onto the riverbed providing information on the extent of flood plain erosion. The ages of CWD and the surface of the eroded flood plain provide an estimation of the rate of lateral migration. The erosion rates measured at two sites in the Mala Panew River were between 0.24 and 0.36 m/year.Another way of reconstructing the rate of lateral migration is by dating trees growing on different-aged sandy meander bars. These levels are primarily covered with Alnus glutinosa and Alnus incana. The oldest trees growing on each level give information about the minimum age of that level, which allows us to reconstruct the rate of lateral migration. The lateral migration of the channel has also been estimated dating the oldest trees growing on mid-channel islands separated from the lateral banks. The values obtained for 10 sites of the Mala Panew channel oscillate between 0.07 and 1.83 m/year.Tree ring analyses also allow us to determine the impact of individual high discharges on the lateral migration rate of the Mała Panew channel. The lateral migration of the channel was most rapid in the years 1953–57 and 1966–68 as well as during the extraordinary flood in 1997.     

The catalytic activity of mycelial fungi towards 7-oxo-DHEA – an endogenous derivative of steroidal hormone dehydroepiandrosterone

Seventeen species of fungi belonging to thirteen genera were screened for the ability to carry out the transformation of 7-oxo-DHEA (7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone). Some strains expressed new patterns of catalytic activity towards the substrate, namely 16β-hydroxylation (Laetiporus sulphureus AM498), Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of ketone in D-ring to lactone (Fusicoccum amygdali AM258) and esterification of the 3β-hydroxy group (Spicaria divaricata AM423). The majority of examined strains were able to reduce the 17-oxo group of the substrate to form 3β,17β-dihydroxy-androst-5-en-7-one. The highest activity was reached with Armillaria mellea AM296 and Ascosphaera apis AM496 for which complete conversion of the starting material was achieved, and the resulting 17β-alcohol was the sole reaction product. Two strains of tested fungi were also capable of stereospecific reduction of the conjugated 7-keto group leading to 7β-hydroxy-DHEA (Inonotus radiatus AM70) or a mixture of 3β,7α,17β-trihydroxy-androst-5-ene and 3β,7β,17β-trihydroxy-androst-5-ene (Piptoporus betulinus AM39). The structures of new metabolites were confirmed by MS and NMR analysis. They were also examined for their cholinesterase inhibitory activity in an enzymatic-based assay in vitro test.     

Activity of Hawthorn Leaf and Bark Extracts in Relation to Biological Membrane

The aim of the study was to identify and determine the percent content of polyphenols in extracts from leaves and hawthorn bark, to examine the effect of the extracts on the properties of the biological membrane as well as to determine their antioxidant activity toward membrane lipids. In particular, a biophysical investigation was conducted on the effect of hawthorn extracts on the osmotic resistance and morphology of erythrocyte cells and on the packing of the heads of membrane lipids. Analysis of the polyphenol content of extracts used the HPLC method. Analysis of the polyphenol composition has shown a dominant share of procyanidins and epicatechin in both extracts. The research showed that the polyphenolic compounds contained in hawthorn extracts are incorporated mainly into the hydrophilic part of the erythrocyte membrane, inducing echinocyte shapes. They also diminish the packing order of the lipid polar heads of the membrane, as evidenced by the lowered generalized polarization values of Laurdan. The substances used induced increased osmotic pressure of erythrocytes, making them less sensitive to changes in osmotic pressure. The presence of the extract compounds in the outer hydrophilic part of the erythrocyte membrane, evidenced by examination of the shapes and packing in the hydrophilic part of membrane, indicates that the substances constitute a kind of barrier that protects the erythrocyte membrane against free radicals, while the membrane-bound extracts do not disturb the membrane structure and, thus, do not cause any side effects.     

Bat responses to climate change: a systematic review

Understanding how species respond to climate change is key to informing vulnerability assessments and designing effective conservation strategies, yet research efforts on wildlife responses to climate change fail to deliver a representative overview due to inherent biases. Bats are a species-rich, globally distributed group of organisms that are thought to be particularly sensitive to the effects of climate change because of their high surface-to-volume ratios and low reproductive rates. We systematically reviewed the literature on bat responses to climate change to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge, identify research gaps and biases and highlight future research needs. We found that studies are geographically biased towards Europe, North America and Australia, and temperate and Mediterranean biomes, thus missing a substantial proportion of bat diversity and thermal responses. Less than half of the published studies provide concrete evidence for bat responses to climate change. For over a third of studied bat species, response evidence is only based on predictive species distribution models. Consequently, the most frequently reported responses involve range shifts (57% of species) and changes in patterns of species diversity (26%). Bats showed a variety of responses, including both positive (e.g. range expansion and population increase) and negative responses (range contraction and population decrease), although responses to extreme events were always negative or neutral. Spatial responses varied in their outcome and across families, with almost all taxonomic groups featuring both range expansions and contractions, while demographic responses were strongly biased towards negative outcomes, particularly among Pteropodidae and Molossidae. The commonly used correlative modelling approaches can be applied to many species, but do not provide mechanistic insight into behavioural, physiological, phenological or genetic responses. There was a paucity of experimental studies (26%), and only a small proportion of the 396 bat species covered in the examined studies were studied using long-term and/or experimental approaches (11%), even though they are more informative about the effects of climate change. We emphasise the need for more empirical studies to unravel the multifaceted nature of bats' responses to climate change and the need for standardised study designs that will enable synthesis and meta-analysis of the literature. Finally, we stress the importance of overcoming geographic and taxonomic disparities through strengthening research capacity in the Global South to provide a more comprehensive view of terrestrial biodiversity responses to climate change.