High pressure effect on photosynthetic properties of green plant leaves

We investigated the effects of high pressure treatment on green plant leaves of two species, red rose (Rosa rubiginosa L.) and silver birch male (Betula pendula Roth). Both species were treated with pressure up to 100 bar in order to explore stress reactions, including desirable or undesirable metabolites in plant. When increasing the pressure, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence maximum shifts to the wavelength of about 680 nm for both red rose and silver birch, with shift rates–0.062 nm/bar and–0.082 nm/bar, respectively. High pressure induces the changes of the position for the second fluorescence maximum at approximately 730 nm in both species with the same shift rate–0.083 nm/bar. When increasing pressure the change of the photosynthetic apparatus efficiency decreases for both plant species slowly and nonlinearly. High-pressure treatments irreversibly damaged the leaf tissue and at this way induced changes of Chl fluorescence and photosynthetic efficiency.     

Antioxidant defence enzyme activities in hepatopancreas, gills and muscle of Spiny cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) from the River Danube

The aim of our study was to determine the activity of antioxidant defence (AD) enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR) and the phase II biotransformation enzyme glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in the hepatopancreas, the gills and muscle of Spiny cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) from the River Danube and to compare tissue specificities of investigated enzymes. Our results indicated that both specific and total SOD activities in the hepatopancreas were lower compared to the gills and muscle. Total SOD activity in the gills was lower with respect to that in muscle. CAT and GSH-Px (both specific and total) activities were higher in the hepatopancreas compared to those in the gills and muscle. In the gills the specific and total GR activities were higher than in the hepatopancreas and muscle. The specific and total GST activities were higher in the hepatopancreas compared with the gills and muscle. Our study represents the first comprehensive report of AD enzymes in tissues of O. limosus caught in the River Danube. The noted tissue distributions of the investigated AD enzyme activities most likely reflected different metabolic activities and different responses to environmental conditions in the examined tissues.     

Ocular findings in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing haemodialysis

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the ocular findings in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing haemodialysis (HD). In 64 patients undergoing haemodialysis (30 female and 34 male), aged 24-83 years (mean 58 years) on haemodialysis 1-213 months (mean 47 months) complete ocular examination were performed: visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), biomicroscopic examination and fundoscopy. On right eye sixty-nine percent of patents had VA 0.6 or better, and on left eye 84% of patients had VA 0.6 or better. Mean IOP before dialysis was 15 mmHg and after dialysis was 14 mmHg. In 9 patients (14%) we found corneo-conjunctival calcium deposits. No correlation of ocular calcification and parathyroid hormone (PTH) level or calcium and phosphate product were observed. 39 (60%) patients had cataract. Hypertensive vascular changes were seen in 44 (68%) patients and in 6 (7%) patients age-related macular degeneration. Seven patients had diabetes mellitus and in 5 diabetic retinopathy was observed. Patients with CRF or who are receiving HD represent unique group of patients. Pathologic change could be found in many tissue and organs, therefore we suggest ocular examination more frequently in dialysis patients.     

The immunomodulation effect of allogenic blood transfusion in colorectal cancer--a new approach

The total number of 542 patients with colorectal cancer surgery have been analyzed in order to estimate the effect of receiving transfusion local recurrences, and the disease free - survival. It should be examined whether there are changes in general immunity indicators which would be connected with perioperative transfusion. A significant connection has been found between local recurrences and blood transfusion (p<0.0001), the most noticeable being in Dukes A (p =0.045), localization on rectum (p=0.036). The receiving of blood transfusion is linked significantly with disease free - survival reduction (p =0.0068; log rank), the most significant being in Dukes A stage (p =0.0123; log rank) and with localization on rectum (p=0.0231). The analysis of general immunity indicators has shown significant immunocompromitation of patients just before the surgery and this could have effect on immunomodulation caused by transfusion and just as on the treatment prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.     

In vivo measurement of bone aluminium: recent developments

A biomarker of aluminium accumulation in the human body can play a valuable role in determining health effects of chronic aluminium exposure, complementing other human and environmental monitoring data. In vivo neutron activation provides such a non-invasive biomarker. To date, the best in vivo neutron activation system used thermalised neutrons from a nuclear reactor at Brookhaven National Laboratory, which suffered only slightly from interference from other elements, primarily phosphorus, and from the disadvantage of restricted accessibility. At McMaster, we use a nuclear reaction on an accelerator to select neutron energy, which eliminates the interferences. Spectral decomposition analysis improved sensitivity. A new 4pi detection system also enhanced sensitivity. Together these improvements yield a minimum detection limit of 0.24 mgAl in a hand, slightly better than at Brookhaven and equivalent to "normal" levels. Further improvements should result from a new irradiation cavity and from using a higher proton current on the accelerator to shorten irradiation times. The system is now ready for pilot human studies.     

The Intrasectional Chemotaxonomic Placement of Hypericum elegans Stephan ex Willd. Inferred from the Essential‐Oil Chemical Composition

Here we report, for the first time, the results of detailed GC and GC/MS analyses of the essential oil of a rare taxon in Serbia, Hypericum elegans Stephan ex Willd . One hundred and sixty two constituents identified accounted for 98.6% of the oil. The major components of the oil were undecane (31.9%), α‐pinene (16.7%), nonane (6.1%), bicyclogermacrene (5.8%), 2‐methyloctane (3.7%), and germacrene D (3.6%). Non‐terpenoids as chemotaxonomic markers constituted the main fraction of H. elegans oil, whereby n‐alkanes were the most abundant contributors of this fraction. Based on these results and previously published ones, we performed an intrasectional multivariate statistical comparison of corresponding essential‐oil chemical compositions. Principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) of the data on the volatile profiles of section Hypericum taxa revealed that H. elegans either represents an oil chemotype of its own (AHC) or could be considered related to H. perforatum (PCA).     

Overweight and fatness in Dalmatia, Croatia: comparison with the U.S. population reference

Subscapular skinfold, elbow breadth and upper arm indicators of nutritional status were studied in the population of Dalmatia in Croatia. Age- and sex-specific percentiles were obtained from 4373 subjects, 18 to 74 years of age, and compared to the U.S. NHANES I and II reference data. There were significant differences between these data sets in all studied variables. The results complement those reported previously for BMI and triceps skinfold and indicate that high prevalence of overweight in Dalmatians largely reflects their muscularity and skeletal robustness rather than excess body fatness. The findings suggest that the U.S. upper percentiles of BMI and skinfolds are inadequate for the assessment of excess body fatness in Dalmatian population. The obtained population-specific percentile distributions should be used provisionally as the reference data for group comparisons in the Dalmatian region.     

Hereditary and environmental dental findings in identification of human remains

The paper presents the results on hereditary and environmental dental findings in identification of human remains exhumed from mass graves in the Republic of Croatia. The total of 17,880 teeth from all the categories (incisors, canines, premolars and molars) was examined. Hereditary findings of the teeth such as shape, size, position, as well as age were used in all of the cases confirming and completing the identification. In only 15% of the cases they were the starting points for the identification that would be later confirmed with another 3-5 traditional identification procedures. Disturbances in tooth eruption were recorded in 22% of the cases, impaction of teeth in 10%, and retarded eruption of teeth in 12%. Disturbances of tooth position were recorded in 65% of the cases. Tooth rotation in 26% and diastema mediana in maxilla or mandible in 39%. Disorders of tooth number in the form of unilateral and bilateral missing of lateral maxillary incisors were recorded only in 2% of the monitored cases. Abnormalities of the tooth shape were found in 11% of the cases. The majority of them were found on the tooth crowns 6%, and less on the tooth roots 5%. Environmental dental findings that were the most significant for the identifications were prosthetic appliances in 30% of cases. Prostheses were helpful in the identification of 3% of the cases, while crowns and bridges were helpful in 27% of the cases. Ante mortem teeth extractions were helpful in 25% of the cases. Teeth restorations were recorded in 20% of the identified cases, amalgams in 19% and aesthetic filings in 1%. Dental caries was helpful in only 10% of the cases, superficial caries in 3% and caries of dentin in 7% of cases.     

Conformation and structure of 2-amino-8-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)imidazo [1,2-a]-s-triazin-4-one (5-aza-7-deaza guanosine), a potent antiviral nucleoside

The crystal and molecular structure of one imidazo[1,2-a]-s-triazine nucleoside and its antiviral activity are described. The crystal structure of 2-amino-8-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)imidazo-[1,2-a]-s-triazin-4-one monohydrate (C₁₀H₁₃N₅O₅·H₂O) was solved by X-ray counter data. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁ with cell dimensions a = 7.353 (1), b = 6.465 (1), c = 13.701 (1) Å, β = 104.64 (1)°. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full matrix least-squares technique to a final value of the conventional R-factor of 0.049 using 1998 observed intensities. The orientation of the base relative to the sugar ring defined in terms of rotation about the C(1′)-N(8) glycosyl bond is anti (47.8°). The ribose moiety exhibits C(2′)-endo, ²E conformation. The conformation around C(4′)-C(5′) is gauche^?. Molecular packing is dominated by hydrogen bonds. Base stacking occurs long the b axis. 5-Aza-7-deazaguanosine has shown a marked antiviral activity in vitro against herpes simplex virus despite the fact that N(3) is effective as the hydrogen acceptor only.