The impact of aerobic and anaerobic training regimes on blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive rats: focus on redox changes

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Melatonin is a crucial neurohormone synthesized in the pineal gland that influences the physiology of animals. The molecular mechanism of norepinephrine...     

Efficient Haploid Induction in Microspore Suspension Culture of Aesculus hippocastanum and Karyotype Analysis

Suspension culture was more efficient method for haploid production than anther culture. All analysed androgenic regenerants originating from embryogenic microspores in suspension culture of Aesculus hippocastanum L. had a haploid number of chromosomes (n=20), while 50 % of those derived from anther culture were diploids. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Acid-sensing ion channels in malignant gliomas

High grade glioma cells derived from patient biopsies express an amiloride-sensitive sodium conductance that has properties attributed to the human brain sodium channel family, also known as acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). This amiloride-sensitive conductance was not detected in cells obtained from normal brain tissue or low grade or benign tumors. Differential gene profiling data showed that ASIC1 and ASIC2 mRNA were present in normal and low grade tumor cells. Although ASIC1 was present in all of the high grade glial cells examined, ASIC2 mRNA was detected in less than half. The main purpose of our work was to examine the molecular mechanisms that may underlie the constitutively activated sodium currents present in high grade glioma cells. Our results show that 1) gain-of-function mutations of ASIC1 were not present in a number of freshly resected and cultured high grade gliomas, 2) syntaxin 1A inhibited ASIC currents only when ASIC1 and ASIC2 were co-expressed, and 3) the inhibition of ASIC currents by syntaxin 1A had an absolute requirement for either gamma- or delta-hENaC. Transfection of cultured cells originally derived from high grade gliomas (U87-MG and SK-MG1) with ASIC2 abolished basal amiloride-sensitive sodium conductance; this inhibition was reversed by dialysis of the cell interior with Munc-18, a syntaxin-binding protein that typically blocks the interaction of syntaxin with other proteins. Thus, syntaxin 1A cannot inhibit Na(+) permeability in the absence of adequate plasma membrane ASIC2 expression, accounting for the observed functional expression of amiloride-sensitive currents in high grade glioma cells.     

The Effects of Growth Regulators on Flowering of Chenopodium murale Plants in vitro

In vitro culture of Chenopodium murale L. (ecotype 197) green and herbicide SAN 9789 - treated "white" plants was established and the effects of benzylaminopurine (BAP), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) on growth and flowering were tested. Green plants did not flower on glucose free media, while 17 % of plants flowered on 5 % glucose-containing medium. SAN 9789 (10^–5 M) inhibited growth and flowering. BAP and IAA (0.1 – 5 mg dm^–3) also inhibited growth and flowering of green and "white" plants. GA₃ (10 mg dm^–3) stimulated leaf development in green plants, but had no significant effect on "white" plants, and stimulated flowering of green (41 %) and "white" (33 %) plants.     

Public transport as a reservoir of methicillin‐resistant staphylococci

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the occurrence of methicillin‐resistant staphylococci in a large urban public transport system. Methods and Results: Samples were taken from hand rails, which passengers hold onto when they are standing. In total, 1400 swabs taken from 55 vehicles (trolleybuses, trams and buses) were examined. As many as 30·1% samples were positive for the presence of methicillin‐resistant coagulase‐negative staphylococci (MRCoNS), but none for methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRCoNS were isolated from all 55 vehicles. Nearly 50% of MRCoNS isolates displayed resistance not only to beta‐lactams, but at least to two or more other classes of antimicrobials as well. Conclusions: This study demonstrated widespread occurrence of MRCoNS on hand rails in public transport vehicles. MRSA was not detected. Significance and Impact of the Study: The recovery of methicillin‐resistant staphylococci from public transport system implies a potential risk for transmission of these bacteria in an out‐hospital environment.     

The Engineering of a Novel Ligand in gH Confers to HSV an Expanded Tropism Independent of gD Activation by Its Receptors

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) enters cells by means of four essential glycoproteins - gD, gH/gL, gB, activated in a cascade fashion by gD binding to one of its receptors, nectin1 and HVEM. We report that the engineering in gH of a heterologous ligand – a single-chain antibody (scFv) to the cancer-specific HER2 receptor – expands the HSV tropism to cells which express HER2 as the sole receptor. The significance of this finding is twofold. It impacts on our understanding of HSV entry mechanism and the design of retargeted oncolytic-HSVs. Specifically, entry of the recombinant viruses carrying the scFv-HER2–gH chimera into HER2⁺ cells occurred in the absence of gD receptors, or upon deletion of key residues in gD that constitute the nectin1/HVEM binding sites. In essence, the scFv in gH substituted for gD-mediated activation and rendered a functional gD non-essential for entry via HER2. The activation of the gH moiety in the chimera was carried out by the scFv in cis, not in trans as it occurs with wt-gD. With respect to the design of oncolytic-HSVs, previous retargeting strategies were based exclusively on insertion in gD of ligands to cancer-specific receptors. The current findings show that (i) gH accepts a heterologous ligand. The viruses retargeted via gH (ii) do not require the gD-dependent activation, and (iii) replicate and kill cells at high efficiency. Thus, gH represents an additional tool for the design of fully-virulent oncolytic-HSVs retargeted to cancer receptors and detargeted from gD receptors.     

Quantifying the Consistency of Scientific Databases

Science is a social process with far-reaching impact on our modern society. In recent years, for the first time we are able to scientifically study the science itself. This is enabled by massive amounts of data on scientific publications that is increasingly becoming available. The data is contained in several databases such as Web of Science or PubMed, maintained by various public and private entities. Unfortunately, these databases are not always consistent, which considerably hinders this study. Relying on the powerful framework of complex networks, we conduct a systematic analysis of the consistency among six major scientific databases. We found that identifying a single "best" database is far from easy. Nevertheless, our results indicate appreciable differences in mutual consistency of different databases, which we interpret as recipes for future bibliometric studies.     

Comparative biocenological analysis of Gastropoda on the Macedonian part of Lake Ohrid and its watershed

Lake Ohrid represents a refugial ecosystem which harbors a great number of endemic and relics living forms. Though the whole Lake’s fauna characterizes high biodiversity and endemism, this is most obvious in the class of Gastropoda. Unlike the Lake, the fauna of the adjacent waters fairly differs from the Lake’s fauna, i.e., it is poorer both in term of diversity and endemism. The main goal of our study was to perform comparative biocenological researches on the gastropod fauna from Lake Ohrid and the adjacent waters in the watershed of the Lake. Based on the results we have obtained, it could be clearly noted that different habitats are characterized with different qualitative composition of the gastropod fauna not only when compared the gastropod settlement between the Lake and its surrounding waters, but also in the Lake for itself. Total of 50 species of gastropods have been recorded in the littoral regions of the lake and its coastal waters during 2009/2010. They belong to subclass Orthogastropoda (50 taxa). 21 species out of 50 are recorded in the adjacent waters: 13 of them settle both the adjacent waters and the Lake, while 8 strictly inhabit the adjacent waters. In terms of endemism, 17 are endemic and 4 cosmopolitan. The remainig 29 (out of 50 recorded) settle up only the littoral zone of the Lake: 25 are endemic and 4 are cosmopolitan. The percentage of endemism based on the recorded species for the class Gastropoda is 84%.