Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in the Czech Republic

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection has been estimated to range from 60 to 95% in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of this study was to evaluate H. pylori infection prevalence in a representative sample of the Czech population. The second objective was to describe difference of H. pylori prevalence between different social groups of children and adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2509 persons aged 5-100 years, randomly selected out of 30,012 persons of the general population, took part in the study. H. pylori infection was investigated by means of 13C-urea breath test. Breath samples were analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Social and demographic characteristics were based on data from self-completed questionnaires. RESULTS: Using the total Czech population as a standard, we estimated the age-standardized prevalence of H. pylori in males aged 5+ years at 41.9% (95% CI 39.0%, 44.8%) and in females aged 5+ years at 41.4% (95% CI 38.6%, 44.3%) in 2001. Prevalence of H. pylori increased with age but was not related to gender. Children of mothers with basic or lower education, living in crowded accommodations, without access to running warm water, and residing in smaller towns appear to be at the highest risk. Low education and heavy smoking are most strongly associated with prevalence of H. pylori positivity in adults and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: This is a unique study based on a representative sample of the general population in a Central European country. The overall prevalence of H. pylori is lower than previously assumed and could partly reflect a substantial recent decrease in H. pylori prevalence in the Czech Republic. Consistent with earlier studies, H. pylori infection is strongly influenced by socioeconomic conditions and childhood poverty.     

Conclusions on motor control depend on the type of model used to represent the periphery

Within the field of motor control, there is no consensus on which kinematic and kinetic aspects of movements are planned or controlled. Perturbing goal-directed movements is a frequently used tool to answer this question. To be able to draw conclusions about motor control from kinematic responses to perturbations, a model of the periphery (i.e., the skeleton, muscle–tendon complexes, and spinal reflex circuitry) is required. The purpose of the present study was to determine to what extent such conclusions depend on the level of simplification with which the dynamical properties of the periphery are modeled. For this purpose, we simulated fast goal-directed single-joint movement with four existing types of models. We tested how three types of perturbations affected movement trajectory if motor commands remained unchanged. We found that the four types of models of the periphery showed different robustness to the perturbations, leading to different predictions on how accurate motor commands need to be, i.e., how accurate the knowledge of external conditions needs to be. This means that when interpreting kinematic responses obtained in perturbation experiments the level of error correction attributed to adaptation of motor commands depends on the type of model used to describe the periphery.     

Development of a thermostable β-glucuronidase-based reporter system for monitoring gene expression in hyperthermophiles

Mesophilic glucuronidases are the most widely used reporters of gene expression in plants, but unsuitable as reporters in (hyper-)thermophiles due their insufficient thermal stability. Here we present the native 66.8 kDa thermostable β-glucuronidase of Sulfolobus solfataricus. The enzyme activity is characterized in a wide temperature range ideal for, but not limited to, in vivo genetic study of hyperthermophiles. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate its use as a reporter of gene expression in Sulfolobus, by monitoring a promoter fusion created with the β-glucuronidase coding gene gusB and a copper-responsive promoter.     

Decorin-TGFβ axis in hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis

Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis are worldwide health care problems, especially in regions with a high rate of hepatitis infection. As these diseases affect a major part of the human population, the search for antifibrotic therapies has a high priority in medical research. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is one of the most powerful profibrotic cytokines. Thus, blocking TGF-β1 activity by natural inhibitors represents a valid and logical strategy to combat hepatic fibrosis. One of the natural inhibitors of TGF-β1 is decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan that binds with high affinity to this cytokine and prevents its interaction with pro-fibrotic receptors. Recent evidence has shown that decorin has a protective role in liver fibrogenesis insofar as its genetic ablation in mice leads to enhanced matrix deposition, impaired matrix degradation, and "activation" of hepatic stellate cells, the main producers of fibrotic tissue. Moreover, TGF-β1 exerts a stronger effect when functional decorin is absent. These data provide robust genetic evidence for a direct role of endogenous decorin in preventing and retarding hepatic fibrosis. Thus, boosting the endogenous production of decorin or systemic delivery of recombinant decorin could represent an additional therapeutic modality against hepatic fibrosis.     

Characterization of two different toxins of Wickerhamomyces anomalus (Pichia anomala) VKM Y-159

Wickerhamomyces anomalus VKM Y-159 strain produces two types of toxin designated as WAKT a and WAKT b, encoded by chromosomal genes. The WAKT a toxin is heat-labile, pronase sensitive acting in pH range 3-4 affecting on several yeasts including pathogenic Candida species while the WAKT b toxin is protease- and thermo-resistant, acting in pH range 3-7 on two species, Candida alai and Candida norvegica. The rapid decrease of the number of viable cells after toxin treatment demonstrates that both toxins have cytocidic effect.     

The effect of Fe-EDDHA on shoot multiplication and in vitro rooting of Carlina onopordifolia Besser

The effect of two different iron chelates and iron concentration on multiplication, shoot growth, chlorophyll content and rooting of Carlina onopordifolia were studied in in vitro culture. FeEDTA presented in MS basal medium was replaced by FeEDDHA, which was applied in three concentrations: 93.5, 187.0 and 280.5?mg?dm^?3 (5.6?mg?dm^?3, 11.2 and 16.8?mg?dm^?3 Fe ions, respectively). Changing chelate or iron concentration in the medium had no effect on axillary shoot number proliferation, but growth of shoots was significantly inhibited by a two- and three-fold increase in concentration of FeEDDHA in the medium. Supplementation of the medium with FeEDDHA as Fe source significantly increased the level of chlorophyll in the leaves. After treatment of shoots with IBA for 5?s and growing them on the MS medium supplemented with FeEDTA, the number of roots per shoot was significantly higher than on medium containing FeEDDHA. Increasing the concentration of Fe ions in the medium after a short pulse (5?s) of IBA had no effect on shoot rooting. After 30?s of 1-g?dm^?3 IBA treatment, growth of roots on medium with FeEDDHA was stimulated. The survival rate was relatively low and did not depend on the type and concentration of iron chelate in the rooting medium.     

Synthesis of isoindole and benzoisoindole derivatives of teicoplanin pseudoaglycon with remarkable antibacterial and antiviral activities

The primary amino function of teicoplanin pseudoaglycon has been transformed into arylthioisoindole or benzoisoindole and glycosylthioisoindole derivatives, in a reaction with o-phthalaldehyde or naphtalene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde and various thiols. All of the obtained semisynthetic antibiotics exhibited potent antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria in the ng per ml concentration range. A few of them showed antiviral activity, in particular against influenza virus.     

Extracellular nucleic acids in maternal circulation as potential biomarkers for placental insufficiency

Since the placenta is being continuously remodeled during normal placental development, extracellular nucleic acids of both fetal and placental origin, packed into either trophoblast-derived apoptotic bodies or shedding syncytiotrophoblast microparticles, may be detected in maternal circulation during the course of normal gestation. Placental-insufficiency-related pregnancy complications have been shown to be associated with excessive placental trophoblast apoptosis and shedding of placenta debris. Recent advances in the field are reviewed with a focus on the diagnostic potential of particular molecular biomarkers and their eventual implementation in the currently used predictive and diagnostic algorithms for placental-insufficiency-related pregnancy complications.