A comparison of a subjective body assessment of men and women of the Polish social elite

The objective of the study was to compare the level of dissatisfaction with body image of men and women of the social elite in the Wielkopolska region, Poland, in the light of anthropometric indicators.     

Short‐Term Water Deficit Changes Cuticular Sterol Profile in the Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

Crop irrigation uses a majority of a total world water supply, at the same time displaying low efficiency. As the expected, future water requirements are higher than the current ones; there is a risk of a growing deficit of water for the agricultural use. Hence, there is an arising need for better understanding the effects of water deprivation on the crop plants. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a vegetable crop cultivated in arid and semi‐arid parts of the world. Because of its high water demands, the eggplant is a convenient model organism for studies concerning the effects of water deficit on the plant growth. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of short‐term water deficit on eggplant leaf cuticular waxes and total sterols. Water deprivation did not affect the amount and composition of aliphatic components of cuticular waxes. Significant decrease in the total cuticular sterols and the increase in cuticular cholesterol were observed as an effect of water deficit. In contrast, some of the free internal sterols were more abundant in water‐deprived plants. The possible importance of these observations, including increased biosynthesis of defensive compounds and the need to maintain the cell membrane stability, was discussed.     

The relationship between chronotype and personality among patients with alcohol dependence syndrome: Pilot study

The study investigates the distribution of chronotypes among alcohol-dependent subjects and the relationship between personality and chronotype. Fifty-eight alcohol-dependent patients and 29 age-matched healthy controls were studied using Ogińska’s Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ), Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire – Revised (EPQ-R), Selzer’s Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and a sociodemographic status questionnaire designed by the authors. The alcohol-dependent patients tended to be morning type, based on the morningness–eveningness ChQ scale, with a weakly marked rhythm, based on the distinctness ChQ scale. Preference towards morningness was associated with older age, but no relation between chronotype and severity of alcohol dependence was found. A high amplitude of the rhythm was associated with higher neuroticism. Therefore, despite being in the minority, patients with a distinct circadian rhythm (i.e. with a high amplitude) are at greater risk of mood and anxiety disorders and hence should be given special consideration.     

Lipase‐Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Novel Antifungal N‐Substituted Benzimidazole Derivatives

A series of new N‐substituted benzimidazole derivatives was synthesized and their antifungal activity against Candida albicans was evaluated. The chemical step included synthesis of appropriate ketones containing benzimidazole ring, reduction of ketones to the racemic alcohols, and acetylation of alcohols to the esters. All benzimidazole derivatives were obtained with satisfactory yields and in relatively short times. All synthesized compounds exhibit significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans 900028 ATCC (% cell inhibition at 0.25 μg concentration > 98%). Additionally, racemic mixtures of alcohols were separated by lipase‐catalyzed kinetic resolution. In the enzymatic step a transesterification reaction was applied and the influence of a lipase type and solvent on the enantioselectivity of the reaction was studied. The most selective enzymes were Novozyme SP 435 and lipase Amano AK from Pseudomonas fluorescens (E > 100). Chirality 28:347–354, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Haloperidol,but not olanzapine,may affect expression of PER1 and CRY1 genes in human glioblastoma cell line

Background: There is barely any evidence of antipsychotic drugs affecting the molecular clockwork in human, yet it is suggested that clock genes are associated with dopaminergic transmission, i.e. the main target of this therapeutics. We decided to verify if haloperidol and olanzapine affect expression of CLOCK, BMAL1, PER1 and CRY1 in a human central nervous system cell line model. Methods: U-87MG human glioblastoma cell line was used as an experimental model. The cells were incubated with or without haloperidol and olanzapine in the concentration of 5 and 20 μM for 24 h. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction with the ΔC_T analysis was used to examine the effect of haloperidol and olanzapine on the mRNA expression of the genes. Results: At 5 μM, haloperidol decreased expression of CRY1 almost 20-fold. There was nearly a 1.5-fold increase in expression of PER1. Considering the 20 μM haloperidol concentration and both olanzapine concentrations, no other statistically significant effect was observed. Conclusions: At certain concentration, haloperidol seems to affect expression of particular clock genes in a human central nervous system cell line model, yet mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains elusive.     

SOD-Like Activity of Copper(II) Containing Metallopeptides Branched By 2,3-Diaminopropionic Acid: What the N-Termini Elevate,the C-Terminus Ruins

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Relations between structural modifiactions and SOD-like activity of four branched CuII-metallopeptides based on l-2,3-diaminopropionic...     

Catechol-based inhibitors of bacterial urease

Targeted covalent inhibitors of urease were developed on the basis of the catechol structure. Forty amide and ester derivatives of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and gallic acid were obtained and screened against Sporosarcinia pasteurii urease. The most active compound, namely propargyl ester of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid exhibited IC₅₀?=?518?nM and$k_{\mathit{inact}}/K_i$?=?1379?M^?1?s^?1. Inhibitory activity of this compound was better and toxicity lower than those obtained for the starting compound – catechol. The molecular modelling studies revealed a mode of binding consistent with structure-activity relationships.     

Determination of roxithromycin in human plasma by HPLC with fluorescence and UV absorbance detection: application to a pharmacokinetic study

A selective HPLC method with fluorescence detection for the determination of roxithromycin (ROX) in human plasma was described. After solid-phase extraction (SPE), ROX and erythromycin (internal standard, I.S.) were derivatized by treatment with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl). Optimal resolution of fluorescence derivatives of ROX and I.S. was obtained during one analytical run using reversed phase, C(18) column. The mobile phase was composed of potassium dihydrogenphosphate solution, pH 7.5 and acetonitrile. Fluorescence of the compounds was measured at the maximum excitation, 255 nm and emission, 313 nm, of ROX derivatives. Validation parameters of the method were also established. After SPE, differences in recoveries of ROX and erythromycin from human plasma were observed. The linear range of the standard curve of ROX in plasma was 0.5-10.0 mg/l. The validated method was successfully applied for pharmacokinetic studies of ROX after administration of a single tablet of ROX.